By Francis Sardauna
The Katsina State chapter of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) on Tuesday, decried the spate of rape, forced marriage and domestic violence bedevilling young girls and women in the state.
The Chairperson of the association, Hannatu Mohammed, who revealed this in a chat with journalists, frowned on the increasing surge in the use of hard drugs and peddling amongst youths and married women in the state.
She therefore called on government and relevant stakeholders to unite in the fight against crime by strengthening laws that will protect women and children against such heinous acts.
The NAWOJ chairperson equally enjoined women to break the silence by speaking out and reporting their cases to the appropriate authorities for necessary actions.
She said: “Nigeria Association of Women Journalists Katsina State council is calling on stakeholders to unite in the fight against all forms of violence against women in the country, as the world mark’s the 16-day activities for the elimination of violence against women.
“The 2020 campaign theme is ‘Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect” and we must rise to push for an end to gender-based violence, which the World Health Organisation estimates that about one in every three women in the world has suffered physical or sexual violence.
“NAWOJ Katsina is calling on government and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen laws that will protect women against domestic violence, rape, female genital mutilation, human trafficking and forced marriage.”
