Mother Theresa was an Indian nun who earned a Novel Peace Prize for her humanitarian activities.
According to the Director Press, Shehu Maikai in a release today, he stated that the recognition was made of Dame Pauline Tallen on Tuesday, 30th March 2021 at a meeting with wives of governors to find lasting solutions to domestic violence, held at the Nigerian Merit House, Abuja.
The Minister said that gender violence; be it domestic, or male against female or vice versa, is inimical to national development.
“The Ministry of Women Affairs shall always champion the fight against women who maltreat their spouses just as it does for women who are maltreated by their husbands”.
“There shall be no economy nor social harmony in a home that is dominated by domestic violence, the minister said.
Dame Pauline Tallen noted that out of every ten cases of gender-based violence, only one case gets reported for fear of stigmatization.
She said that in every nine seconds, at least one woman gets assulted globally.
“Eleven million children experience domestic violence globally every day while only 20 thousand of these cases get Media attention”, the minister revealed.
Dame Pauline Tallen charged Nigerians to report any case of domestic violence to the authority. “If you see something, say something, ” she emphasized.
She said that the Ministry of Women Affairs has established some Hot telephone lines, dedicated to receiving reports on domestic violence.
She called on all states ministries of women affairs to, likewise, establish similar telephone lines to receive distress calls on domestic violence.
Dame Pauline Tallen said that she has spoken to some Ambassadors from other friendly nations to support the ministry’s advocacy to end gender violence, rape, and all forms of child abuse.
She called on women to stand up and challenge all societal ills that tend to dehumanize women and children.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Ambassador Anthonia Ekpa thanked the convener of the meeting for championing the crusade on domestic violence.
She said that the workshop should come up with a resolution to reduce the incidences of gender-based violence in our society.
The Chairman of the meeting, Senator Mohammad Bima Enagi said that the workshop couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time than now, given the prevalence of gender-based violence in the country.
Earlier, the convener of the 2-day meeting, Dr (Mrs) Folake J. Yobah thanked the Minister of Women Affairs for creating time out of her tied schedule to deliver a keynote address at the workshop.
She said that the discussions at the two-day meeting will focus on curbing the menace of domestic violence in Nigeria.
The wife of the Nasarawa state governor and the representatives of the wives of Kwara and Benue governors, Commissioners, and permanent secretaries from states attended the opening ceremony of the meeting.