NRC advocates for Housing, Land, and Property’s Rights for women, kicks against harmful traditional practices
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has organized a two-day training event for journalists, civil society organizations, women, youth, community leaders, and religious leaders to advocate for women and girls’ rights to own Houses, Land, and Properties (HLP).
The training aims to mobilize campaigns against traditional harmful practices that deny women and girls their human rights and privileges.
The training event was held at the City Star Conference Hall in Maiduguri and brought together various stakeholders to discuss and address the issues faced by women and girls. The NRC’s efforts aim to promote gender equality and empower women and girls to claim their rights to HLP.
It would be recalled that in Nigeria, the Boko Haram insurgency has left women and girls vulnerable, and traditional harmful practices have further exacerbated their situation. The NRC’s Country Advocacy and Communication Manager, Sabiu Suleiman, emphasized that it is unfair to deny these vulnerable groups their rights to own property, stressing that they are entitled to their rights as human beings.
He noted that, “it is the responsibility of all and sundry, especially media and other community stakeholders to advocate against the denial and key into NRC’s social welfare rights drive towards ensuring the prevalence of rights of women and girls while ensuring they are protected in the society.
“As stakeholders, this gathering is to seek for your support and cooperation to promote, create awareness and mobilize for collective actions to influence cultural practices that limit Housing, Land and Property Rights of women and girls in the society.
“This initiative is part of our broader and collective commitments to safeguard equitable housing, land and property access for all and ensure gender-inclusive policies that protect vulnerable population”.
He added that the ongoing campaign will be greatly appreciated if the media practitioners will key in, report, advocate, and mobilize for wide dissemination of information and instigate community leaders towards ensuring the rights of women and girls are protected in the society not otherwise to create a rift or conflict
On the success stories achieved by NRC so far, Suleiman pointed out that, the NRC since 2015 has been implementing projects to promote and improve Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) vulnerability following natural crises and disasters in states like Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Plateau states.
He noted also that NRC engages in the areas of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Livelihood and Food Support (LFS), Education, Protection from Violence, Information Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA) among others interventions.
In their remarks, the Borno State Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Abdulkareem Haruna, the Chairman of the Correspondents’ Chapel of NUJ, Comrade Inusa Ndahi Marama and the Executive Director, Global Environmental Responds Initiative, Amaji Ngare Dogo commended NRC for organizing the media and community parley.
They pledged to partner together to ensure women and girls Rights are protected in the society while other participants made fruitful contributions and suggestions to address the issues for Peace and tranquility in the society as a way forward for progress and development.