From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

 

The Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, has solicited the support of men in the fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and other atrocities committed against women and girls, stressing they cannot continue to speak alone.

She made the appeal while receiving the delegation of Boys Champion, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), supported by the Nigeria’s Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) officials which came visiting her to present the 1st Place Winner of AFS Award for JNG Global Citizens awarded to the founder of Boys’ Champion, Noel Ifeanyi Alumona, a Diasporean.

According to a statement by Director, Press and Public Relations, Olujimi Oyetomi, the Minister, who commended the Director-General and CEO of NIDCOM Abike Dabiri-Erewa for her concern on Diaspora matters, pointed out that the country’s gender-based violence rate is worrying and emphasized the need for more males to speak out in support of women in order to reduce or eradicate GBV.

She said: “Women cannot continue speaking alone. With voices like yours (Boys Champion), we need more boys and more men to lend their voices to speak out and to condemn all forms of violence against women and girls.”

Tallen described her Ministry, as a “Diaspora-inclined organization”, pledging that the ministry would partner with the Boys Champion to spotlight violence against vulnerable persons in whatever form it may take.

She further pledged collaborations with the organization to ensure a success of its aims and objectives,

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The minister also described the Boys Champion’s contributions at home as excellent, noting that their support for women and girls is a way for them to give their fair share to the country’s growth and noting that they will be unhappy if things are not going well in Nigeria.

She applauded the NGO for taking on the challenging task of educating young men about gender equality and rights, as well as for its awareness-raising event in Enugu State, which focused on getting boys and young men to respect women and put an end to gender-based violence.

Tallen pledged to collaborate with the group on their admirable activities and stated that the Ministry was prepared to assist the project.

The minister emphasized that while discussing gender equality, it is not about men fighting women but rather about both of gender cooperating to produce better results on gender-related issues. She described women as “God’s last born,” intended to provide a support system for men.

In his remarks, the Boys Champion founder, Alumona, expressed appreciation to the Minister for the warm welcome accorded his team and explained the purpose of their visit included presenting the “AFS Award for Young Global Citizen” to her which he won as a “1st Place Winner”.

The visitors were led by officials of Nigerians the Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) which include Oloye Olufunke, Senior Information Officer and Idio Elyon, Senior Diaspora Officer.