- Trains social workers in 57 councils
The Lagos State Government will empower 800 widows with N50,000 each.
Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Mrs Cecilia Dada made this known during a briefing at Alausa to commemorate the International Widow’s Day (IWD).
The gesture, she said, would ameliorate the challenges faced by widows in the state.
The commissioner said the ministry has trained social workers in all 57 local councils in the state to respond to cases of violence against women.
She added that slots were given to the grassroots through the local governments in most of the ministry’s empowerment programmes.
According to her, the 800 beneficiaries were drawn from various Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), faith-based groups, widows from Lagos State Social Register (LASSR), widows from political groups and vulnerable widows from the ministry’s register, who visited the ministry for assistance and source of livelihood.
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“The ministry will continue to work with all stakeholders to achieve and accelerate the achievement of women including vulnerable widows by setting standards that will allow women to be independent and successful,” she said.
She urged the beneficiaries to utilise the cash to support their businesses.
She added that the challenges faced by widows are quite grievous and pathetic and this can only be rectified through access to good healthcare systems, qualitative education, a decent form of livelihood free from violence and abuse, and adequate justice for oppressed widows especially those denied of land and property rights.
“All agents of socialisation must be effectively engaged to secure a society free from discrimination against widows. In this quest to protect the inheritance rights of widows, the family units are sensitised by the ministry towards getting all members of the society to treat women as human beings with equal human rights,” she said.
She added that Lagos has joined the developed world in advocating and attaining the best international human rights practices which emphasise the equality of all persons.
“The provisions of the law geared towards protecting the widow from discrimination cannot be said to be inadequate. The laws are, however, largely ineffective because laws alone cannot compel attitudinal change. It is in recognition of this fact that the Ministry of Women Affairs has been strategizing to ensure that some of these laws require the state to educate their populace to change negative societal norms and cultural practices through various ministerial programmes.”
She noted that there has been a series of sensitisation and awareness campaigns in the past Widows’ Day on the rights of widows.
“The practices that hinder gender development and empowerment are being discouraged. It is imperative to note that there is cultural transformation and effective legislative interventions for the enforcement of the inheritance rights of widows. The courts, across all levels, must continue to deliver judgments that declare such obnoxious cultural practices repugnant to natural justice, equity and good conscience.”
She said that the ministry has a Legal Unit that assists widows through counselling and advocacy.
“Printed simplified copies of the law are distributed at programmes to enable a significant number of women to become more aware of their rights under this law in Lagos State.”
Mrs Dada noted that as part of the Ministry’s mandate, WAPA is sensitive to the needs of all vulnerable and indigent women of which the widows are not left out.
