By Success Uzokwe

ABUJA—The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Zainab Maina, has expressed concern over the failure of the National Assembly to domesticate the United Nation, UN, report on the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, CEDAW.

Speaking at the stakeholders consultative and pre-data collection testing workshop on the development of 7th and 8th CEDAW periodic country report, yesterday, in Abuja, she said violence against the women had been on the increase, yet nothing was being done to alleviate the challenges they face.

The minister said: “It is regrettable that with all the efforts made by stakeholders, the CEDAW or Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill is yet to be domesticated in Nigeria. We accept this set back while we continue to strive and advocate for its passage by the National Assembly hoping sooner than later they will see the sense in passing laws that will protect and empower the interests of mothers, wives, sisters and daughters in this country.”

The Minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Habiba Lawal charged the stakeholders to ensure the objectives of the meeting were achieved and at the end Nigeria would come out with a report that could be reckoned with.

She stated Nigeria was among the first countries in Africa to sign and ratify the UN Conventions on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, in 1985 and 1986 respectively, adding that the signing and ratification made it an obligation for Nigeria to implement the provisions of the convention and report back to the CEDAW committee of experts every four years.

Maina added that since the signing and ratification of the convention, Nigeria had submitted six reports to the committee, while the committee in its concluding recommendations after the defense in July, 2008 requested Nigeria to submit its seventh and eighth periodic report in a combined form by July 2014.

Presenting the report, Resource Person, Ms Banke Akinrimisi said the committee remains concerned about the absence of a comprehensive national strategy and programme to combat all forms of violence against women adding that the majority of services for victims, including shelters, are provided by non-governmental organisations with limited support, including financial support, from the state party.

The committee however urged the state party to ensure the full implementation of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Law Enforcement and Administration Act, including the persecution and punishment of offenders.

Akinrimisi added that the committee expressed concern over the rejection by the National Assembly to domesticate the 2005 draft bill of the convention.

“The committee calls on the state party to intensify its efforts to ensure the passage of the draft bill on domestication of the convention, through the holding of consultations with government officials, Civil Society Organization, with a view to raising awareness and broadening understanding of the convention as well as building support for the draft bill,” she said.