By Obialunamma Nwadiogbu

Ekwulobia—Participants at a one-day workshop on enhancing the status of women have called for increased women participation in decision making processes as a stepping stone to attaining greater heights in all fields of human endeavour. The workshop, which was organized at Awka by the Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, MHWUN, Anambra State chapter, attracted resource persons and experts who enlightened women on their role in the quest for greater involvement in politics and trade union matters.

Chairperson of MHWUN in the state, Mrs. Chinwe Orizu, had set the tone for the event by urging women to be conscious of their capabilities which could be properly utilized to place them in vantage position to be leaders.

Orizu described the theme of the workshop ‘’Building Women; Building the Union’’ as timely especially now that there was seemingly apathy among women about politics and union leadership matters.

She also said that time had come for women to strive at excellence and shun all forms of negative biases that had held them down from effective participation in trade unionism. In her welcome address, the state Chairperson, Women Commission, Patricia Maduabum, said that the nation could enhance its productivity and guarantee gender equality by utilizing female experts.

‘’Women all over the world and Nigeria in particular today compete with their men counterparts in building the economy. For example, late Prof Dora Akunyili and Dr Okonjo Iweala Ngozi and so many others made enormous contributions to the development of this country,’’ she said, adding that the workshop was anchored on empowering women towards a better tomorrow in view of their potentials in transforming nations, as they had proved to be better managers of human resources and materials.

‘’In as much as we are still having some challenges concerning gender inequality, it beats my imagination that women themselves are the architects of their problems. So at the end of this workshop, we will be better equipped for the challenges ahead towards building the unions and having a better Nigeria via women,’’ Maduabum added.

In her own paper, entitled ‘Combating gender based violence in Nigeria;Issues and Challenges,’ the Deputy Chairman, NLC, Oby Eze, stated that violence against women was an age long problem which must be addressed. Eze named types of gender based violence to include, rape, sexual assault, incest, wife battering, forced marriages, widow inheritance, female genital mutilation amongst others.

Proffering solution to the problems, she urged government to enact or reinforce sanctions to punish and redress acts of violence against women and girls, adding that NGOs should intensify awareness campaigns and report cases to appropriate authorities for further action. Also, the South East Coordinator, Women Committee of MHWUN, Ify Oranye, whose paper was on ‘Trade Unions and the challenges of gender mainstreaming,’ suggested that 30 per cent affirmative action should be applied in workplace leadership positions.

She observed that certain factors militating against effective women participation in trade unionism included foul languages, timing of meetings often at midnights to discourage them, multiple roles in family, ante natal and post natal matters, among others, must be resolved to launch them to stardom.