The Women’s Committee, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in Bauchi, has appealed to the state government to create desk officers on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in its Ministries, Departments and Parastatals (MDAs).
The chairperson of the committee, Mrs Rakiya Balan-Malam, stated this at a lecture organised by the committee to celebrate 2021 International Women’s Day (IWD), in Bauchi, on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the sub-theme for the IWD was “Gender Based Violence in Politics and Workplaces”.
Balan-Malam said the action would address issues of violence and other forms of discrimination confronting working class women.
She said the lecture was aimed at providing opportunities for female civil servants to reassess their working conditions, as well as map out a way forward for effective service delivery.
Presenting a paper, the resource person, Shafa’u Ladan, a Lawyer, said that work place GBV was a serious human rights violation, adding that it could lead to the death of a worker or her unborn baby.
She said that political parties needed to understand the issues of GBV and develop good policies to address them..
“There is a need for political actors and parties to understand the issues of GBV and to prioritise and develop good policies on ending GBV, as well as ensure that their candidates and leaders have not been involved in GBV and refuse to endorse or support any one who has.
“GBV can contribute to the death of a worker herself or her unborn child,” she said.
Ladan mentioned some forms of GBV in the work place to include; verbal abuse, bullying, coercion, stalking, intimidation, among others.
She said that female politicians were mostly targeted because of their identity and gender, such that they faced unique risks, as indicated by research.
In his contribution, the representative of the NLC, Bauchi Council, Comrade Dauda Shuaibu, said the Congress would support women and ensure that their rights were not infringed on.
He commended civil servants in the state for their patience and tolerance over non-payment of salaries, assuring that the state government had employed all measures, to ensure that they received their salaries.(NAN)
