Helpline seeks women involvement in peace making

An Abuja-based non-governmental organisation, Helpline Foundation for the Needy, has identified involvement of women leaders in mediation and peace processes as panacea to enduring peace and sustainable development. The group said until women are genuinely engaged in all spheres of decision making, peace will continue to elude the global community, stressing that gender equality is […]

An Abuja-based non-governmental organisation, Helpline Foundation for the Needy, has identified involvement of women leaders in mediation and peace processes as panacea to enduring peace and sustainable development.

The group said until women are genuinely engaged in all spheres of decision making, peace will continue to elude the global community, stressing that gender equality is a prerequisite for a better world.

President of the foundation, Dr. Jummai Ahmadu, who stated this in Abuja at a press conference to mark the 2020 International Women’s Day, said the commitment exhibited by the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, in gender equality was a step in the right direction.

While commenting on the theme for 2020, “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights”, Ahmadu noted that creating a gender equal world is a collective responsibility, stressing that individual actions, conversations, behaviours and mindsets could have an impact on the larger society.

Ahmadu described gender inequality and discrimination against women and girls as an abuse crying out for attention, noting that gender equality is essential for economies and communities to thrive.

“Collectively, we can make change happen. Collectively, we can each help to create a gender equality. Conversely, an equal world is an enabled world,” she noted.

She, however, called on the girl child to embrace digital technology, warning that unless women play an equal role in designing digital technologies, progress on women’s rights could be reversed.

She said: “Like fears expressed in some quarters, I am deeply concerned by the male domination of technological professions in the universities and other vocational institutions. These tech hubs are already shaping the economies and societies of the future.

“Unless women play an equal role in designing digital technologies, progress on women’s rights could be reversed. I am of the opinion that women embracing digital technology can be a useful tool to change the narrative.”