Attending the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Voice for Change Gender and Social Norms Summit in Abuja on August 27, 2024 alongside the First Lady of Nigeria, H.E. Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, was both engaging and enlightening. This summit, an initiative of UNFPA in collaboration with the Office of the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, provided a platform to raise awareness, share lessons learned and promote effective strategies for preventing and addressing gender-based violence (GBV) and other harmful practices.

In her address at the event, the First Lady called for the enactment and enforcement of stricter laws and punishments for perpetrators of rape, sexual abuse, and other forms of gender-based violence. She decried the alarming increase in rape cases and gender-based violence, aligning with Karima Bungudu's, UNFPA Gender/FGM Analyst, highlighting of Nigeria's concerning statistics. Nearly 1 in 3 women, including those with disabilities, have experienced violence. Bungudu emphasized the detrimental effects of harmful practices like Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), child marriage, and Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF), which remain persistently high, disproportionately affecting vulnerable women and girls.

In their respective remarks at the summit, the Ministers for Education, Attorney General/Minister of Justice, Women Affairs, and Youth all expressed support for increasing awareness and ensuring that perpetrators are held accountable. A key highlight of the summit, attended by Wives of State Governors, State Commissioners, traditional rulers, and other Stakeholders, was the presentation of the "Plant of Life" to the First Lady of Nigeria. Additionally, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, along with the Nigeria Governors' Spouses Forum members, including myself, signed the Compact of Commitment, reaffirming our dedication to ending gender-based violence and harmful practices in our States.

#UNFPAsVoiceForChange #EndGBVHarmfuSocialNorm #RenewedHopeInitiative #RHI

#chiomauzodimma

H.E. Chief Barr. (Mrs.) Chioma Uzodimma
First Lady, Imo State and Founder, GoodHope Flourish Foundation
and Secretary of Renewed Hope Initiative.