NAN-H-65
Women
By Martha Agas
Jos, Aug 23, 2017.(NAN) Mrs. Esther Mshelia, a Development Worker and Special Technical Assistant to the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Aisha Alhassan, has cautioned women against being used as tools of warfare.
“Women have been used as tools of warfare during armed conflicts; terrorist even use them to detonate or plant bombs. This is unfortunate and worrisome,” Mshelia said on Wednesday in Jos.
Mshelia spoke at a two-day capacity building workshop organised by Christian Women for Excellence and Empowerment in Nigerian Society(CWEENS) for its Violence Against Women and Girls(VAWG) observatory steering committee.
She regretted that women were being used because because they were perceived as harmless, and called for more programmes that would enlighten women toward what was right and acceptable.
The development worker said that women should be enlightened to play more positive roles during armed conflicts.
“Women should be made to be peace mediators because of their virtue of intuitions.
“They have proved to be good negotiators and demonstrated massive commitment to duties.
“Governments at all levels should include women in decision making processes because they are usually the group most affected by the effects of the wrong decisions,” she said.
Mshelia, who presented a paper “Understanding the Importance and Role of Women in Peace and Security”, said that women should be challenged with key positions that would enable them contribute to societal peace and development.
Also speaking, Mrs. Niri Goyit, Programme Manager, CWEENS, said that the organisation had trained community leaders on gender mainstreaming and conflict management.
In her remarks, Ms Sewuese Surma, Gender Technical Assistant of UN women, said that the objective of the workshop was to improve women’s capacity so that they would be more effective whenever they were called upon.
Earlier in her address of welcome, OBSTEC Chairperson, Mrs. Ladi Madaki, had advised participants at the workshop to strive toward improving women’s participation in decision making processes. (NAN)
MAA/ETS
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Edited by Ephraims Sheyin