The United Nations has expressed worries over rising violence against women and girls in Nigeria.
The UN National Programme Manager, Patience Ekeoba, lamented that the country’s security is weak in handling gender-based matter.
Ekeoba called on the federal government to retrain security personnel, especially the police in handling gender-based matter in order to put an abrupt end to the narrative across the country.
She said this while speaking at the 8th Triennial Convention of the Mothers’ Union of the Church of the Lord International held in Ogere-Remo, Ogun.
The UN personnel who spoke on the theme “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made” disclosed that 3.85 million of Nigerian girls are out of school, warning that the victims are at risk of social violence.
According to her, violence against women, especially girls, is a wide spread report from Nigeria National Population Commission which has continued to be on the increase .
She recalled that there was 56 per cent increase in report of violence against women in some states of the federation during the lockdown occasioned by COVID-19.
She said, “Violence against women and especially girls is widespread.
“Thirty-eight per cent of Nigerian out of school children are girls and this represents 3.85 million of the 10.19 million children out-of-school in the country.”
The Primate of the Church of the Lord, Dr Rufus Ositelu, in his Keynote address called on religious organisations across the country to join forces with the government to combat social violence.
He equally insisted that discrimination against women, especially in politics and religious organisations, must thoroughly be dealt with in order to have a better democratic Nigeria.
Ositelu said, “What we have been advocating is that women should come out and talk. They must not keep quiet and that is why this programme was organised. We also want other religious organisation and the private sector to support government in fighting the trend.”
