.Says only 87 countries ever led by women
.Minister calls for bold action to break barriers, empower Nigerian women
.Deputy Speaker urges more support for seats reservation bill
.Victims of GBV should overcome fear, report to police — Keystone Bank chair, Lady Ada Chukwudozie
BLESSING TAIWO, CHIDIMMA UCHEGBU-ABUJA, JONAS EZIEKE- Abuja
Celebrating 2025 international women’s day, the United Nations has called for firmness in ensuring equality and empowerment for all women and girls globally.
According to a statement obtained from the UN women’s website, women’s and girls’ rights are facing unprecedented growing threats worldwide, from higher levels of discrimination to weaker legal protections, and less funding for programmes and institutions that support and protect women.
UN Women’s latest report “Women’s Rights in Review 30 Years After Beijing”, published ahead of the UN 50th International Women’s Day on March 8, 2025 shows that in 2024 nearly a quarter of governments worldwide reported a backlash on women’s rights.
“Despite important progress, only 87 countries have ever been led by a woman, and a woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by a partner or member of her own family. Digital technology and artificial intelligence spread harmful stereotypes, while the digital gender gap limits women’s opportunities.
“In the past decade, the world registered a disturbing 50 percent increase in the number of women and girls living in conflict, and women’s rights defenders confront daily harassment, personal attacks and even death. Recent global crises—like COVID-19, the climate emergency, soaring food and fuel prices—are only increasing the urgency to respond,” it stated.
UN Secretary-General, António Guterres underscored the significance of empowering women and girls globally.
He said, “when women and girls can rise, we all thrive. Yet, globally, women’s human rights are under attack. Instead of mainstreaming equal rights, we’re seeing the mainstreaming of misogyny.
“Together, we must stand firm in making human rights, equality and empowerment a reality for all women and girls, for everyone, everywhere.”
With this year’s theme— ‘For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment and campaign theme— ‘accelerate action,’ the UN women called on everyone to stand up for the rights of women and girls.
UN Women Executive Director, Sima Bahous assured that the organisation is committed to ensuring that all women and girls, everywhere, can fully enjoy their rights and freedoms.
Bahous said, “complex challenges stand in the way of gender equality and women’s empowerment, but we remain steadfast, pushing forward with ambition and resolve. Women and girls are demanding change—and they deserve nothing less,”
“In a pivotal year for women and girls, that is also a year of pushback and crises like no other, let us push women’s rights forward to create a world where all women and girls enjoy equal rights and equal opportunities. We can be the first generation that can live in an equal world.”
2025 marks 30 years of progress since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most visionary roadmap on women’s rights. The “Women’s Rights in Review 30 Years After Beijing” report, which draws on feedback provided by 159 Governments to the United Nations Secretary-General, shows progress that must be acknowledged – since 1995, parity has been achieved in girls’ education and maternal mortality has dropped by a third.
Women’s representation in parliaments more than doubled, and countries continue to remove discriminatory laws, with 1,531 legal reforms between 1995 and 2024 in 189 countries and territories. It demonstrates that when women’s rights are fully upheld in their countries, families, communities, and economies flourish.
Yet, significant efforts are still required to achieve gender equality and bring us closer to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The new Beijing+30 Action Agenda, a courageous roadmap to ensure gender equality focuses on:
A digital revolution for all women and girls: We must ensure equal access to technology, equip women and girls to lead in AI and digital innovation, and guarantee their online safety and privacy.
Freedom from poverty: Investments in comprehensive social protection, universal health coverage, education, and robust care services are needed for women and girls to thrive and can create millions of green and decent jobs.
Zero violence: Countries must adopt and implement legislation to end violence against women and girls, in all its forms, with well-resourced plans that include support for community-based organizations on the front lines of response and prevention.
Full and equal decision-making power: Temporary special measures like gender quotas have proven their effectiveness in rapidly increasing women’s participation.
Peace and security: Fully finance national plans on women, peace and security and gender-responsive humanitarian aid are essential. Frontline women’s organizations, so often the first responders to crisis, must receive dedicated, sustained funding to build lasting peace.
Climate justice: We must prioritize women’s and girls’ rights in climate adaptation, center their leadership and knowledge, and ensure they benefit from new green jobs.
Across these six actions, putting young women and girls at the heart of the efforts is the best way to guarantee success, both today and tomorrow. These six plus one actions have the potential to unleash progress on women’s rights and put us back on track for 2030.
The Beijing+30 commemoration and the forthcoming UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) are clear opportunities to enshrine this Action Agenda into national policies, regional strategies, and global agreements.
In Nigeria, the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim has flagged off the 2025 International Women’s Day celebration in Abuja, emphasising the need for decisive and bold action to break barriers and empower Nigerian women and girls.
The Minister acknowledged the significant progress made in enacting gender-responsive laws, such as the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act and the Child Rights Act.
However, she noted that full implementation remains a challenge, with only 35 states domesticating the VAPP Act and 34 states adopting the Child Rights Act.
She highlighted four key areas that require attention, to include Legal and Policy Framework by ensuring full compliance, effective enforcement, and accountability to guarantee the rights of Nigerian women and girls; Economic Empowerment by closing the gender financing gap, expanding opportunities in trade, technology, and digital skills, and providing structured support for women entrepreneurs; Gender-Based Violence and Social Norms by strengthening survivor-centered services, reviewing the Child Rights Act and the VAPP Act, and creating safe spaces across the country; Political Representation and Leadership by accelerating efforts toward political inclusion, ensuring women have a seat at the table as equal partners in governance and development.
The Minister commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for significantly increasing the Ministry’s budget, signaling a new era of government commitment to women’s empowerment.
While lamenting over the challenges Nigerian women are facing, the Minister revealed that over 30% of Nigerian women aged 15 – 49 have experienced physical violence, and one in four girls have been sexually abused before age 18, including harmful traditional practices such as child marriage and female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
She urged every Nigerian woman to take the opportunity of the International Women’s Day to strengthen the unity, determination, and unwavering commitment to tackling the legacy challenges that has held them from realising their full potential.
“For me, it is a critical moment to propel gender equality into tangible and measurable progress. It is a rallying call for deliberate, decisive, and bold action to break barriers, close gaps, and empower Nigerian women and girls to take their rightful place in every sphere of our society.
“As you may be aware, International Women’s Day is a global observance that dates back to the early 1900s, born out of the struggles of women for equality, better working conditions, and the right to vote.
“Over the years, it has evolved into a day not just for celebration, but for reflection, advocacy, and action in the pursuit of gender equality.
“For Nigeria, this day holds profound significance as we recognize the remarkable contributions of women to national development while acknowledging the persistent challenges they continue to face”, she added.
The Minister said while Nigeria has made significant progress in enacting gender-responsive laws such as the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP) and the Child Rights Act, full implementation remains a challenge.
According to her, 35 states have domesticated the VAPP Act, while 34 states have adopted the Child Rights Act – a step in the right direction but not yet enough.
“We need full compliance, effective enforcement, and accountability to ensure that the rights enshrined in these laws are a lived reality for every Nigerian woman and girl”, she added.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu has congratulated Nigerian women on International Women’s Day (IWD), emphasizing the importance of economic empowerment and inclusion.
Extolling the ingenuity of Nigerian women, the Deputy Speaker who also celebrates their cultural, political, social, and economic achievements, acknowledges their invaluable impacts to the socio-economic growth and development of the country.
Kalu however noted that despite these impressive contributions, women still face the challenge of political inclusion.
To address the challenge, Kalu said that he found it expedient to advocate for reservation of seats in parliament through a bill to ensure more participation of women in Nigerian politics.
Referencing Nigerian women who are proving their mettle nationally and on the global scene, the Deputy Speaker said that having more women in governance will accelerate social development and engender economic prosperity.
He therefore called for more support for the gender bill and also charge the women to part be of the ongoing advocacy.
He said: “As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I extend my warmest congratulations to the incredible women of Nigeria. Your resilience, determination, and contributions to our nation’s growth and development are truly inspiring.
“However, despite your impressive achievements, I acknowledge that women in Nigeria still face significant barriers to political inclusion. To address this disparity, I am committed to advocating for the passage of the Seat Reservation for Women Bill (HB1349). This crucial legislation aims to reserve seats for women in parliament, ensuring their voices are heard and their perspectives represented.
“I firmly believe that increasing women’s representation in politics will have a transformative impact on our society. It will accelerate social development, promote economic prosperity, and foster a more inclusive and equitable Nigeria.
“I urge all stakeholders, particularly women’s organizations and advocacy groups, to join me in championing this vital cause. Together, we can create a brighter future for Nigerian women and girls, where their rights, opportunities, and voices are valued and respected. Let’s unite for this. The time is now.”
.Vctims of GBV should overcome fear, report to police — Keystone Bank chair, Lady Ada Chukwudozie
Chairman, Board of Directors, Keystone Bank Ltd., Lady Adaora Chukwudozie has urged the victims of gender-based violence (GBV) to overcome fear and make a report to the appropriate legal framework.
Chukwudozie made the call at the 2025 International Women’s Day (IWD) event by the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) on Friday in Lagos.
This year’s theme for the IWD celebrated annually on March 7 is: “Accelerate Action for Gender Equality.”
She noted that the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act of 2015 was the primary legal framework for reporting and addressing gender-based violence in Nigeria.
She, however, stated that in seeking redress, the first barrier of fear must be conquered.
She noted that there were four main categories of challenges – violence, representation, access to education or healthcare and empowerment before the Nigerian woman.
Chukwudozie observed that gender-based violence disproportionately affected women and girls.
According to her, they appeared in forms such as domestic, verbal and physical abuse, rape and sexual assault, early and forced marriages, incest, female genital mutilation, acid baths, and outright murder.
Chukwudozie said that many victims she had listened to, the fear of repercussions or public ridicule remained a formidable challenge.
“This culture of silence is agonising and the failure to prosecute offenders encourages impunity which, in turn, fuels the cycle of violence.
“The often lopsided power dynamics of a typical workplace or school creates a strong disincentive for women and girls to file a report.
“Victims are forced to endure the emotional trauma of facing their abusers every day.
“If we encourage victims to start running, they will soon run out of new offices or new schools and also instead of running, we must encourage reporting,” she said.
Chukwudozie noted that accelerating action meant stepping out of comfort zones, embracing risks, and pushing back in spite of challenges.
She noted that while every woman had a vision in business, to transform a community or pursue education, these visions were impeded by social, political, cultural, and religious barriers.
She said against these barriers, turning vision into reality required more than hope which demanded urgent and concrete steps.
“As women, we owe it to ourselves, our communities, and future generations to accelerate action for gender equality.
“To achieve this, we must challenge societal norms that keep women down, support one another, and advocate for policy changes.
“We must also recognise the value of male allies in our quest for gender equality as we need men who will stand with us, support us, and advocate for women’s rights,” she said.
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