ABUJA
The Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (PPFN) on Wednesday restated its commitment to provision of safe space for women.
Ms Mukhtar Zainab, Communication and Marketing Officer of PPFN, said this in a statement on the occasion of International Women’s Day (IWD) in Abuja.
Zainab said that the PPFN would continue to reinforce the factors that guarantee protection and safety of women and girls both at home, schools and work places.
“At work, homes and everywhere in the society, we believe that by ensuring equal access and enabling environment for women and girls to thrive, we are securing better future prospects for our society’’, she stated.
The media officer said that the campaign hashtag for this year, #BreakTheBias, was a call to action to shun stereotypes that serve as hurdles to the advancement of women and girls in our society.
According to her, it is time to rescue women and girls from the laws that discriminate and the retrogressive norms that harm them.
She expressed the determination of the federation to remain poised toward breaking the biases.
“We are also particularly excited about this because the campaign theme aligns with our vision. It promotes a society where all individuals freely (devoid of bias) exercise their right to choice of quality health services. Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women and girls to access health services especially reproductive health,’’ she said.
Zainab called for action to end to all stereotypes and discrimination aimed at frustrating efforts to accelerate gender equality.
“Knowing that bias exists is not enough; action is needed to level the playing field .At PPFN, we are committed to promoting gender equality in our workplace and in the work we do. We will continue to empower women and girls to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights by extending access to life-saving services and information As an organisation, we will continue to foster women’s leadership through allocation of at least 50 plus one per cent seat to women in our board composition” she noted.
She expressed optimism that such action would unlock women’s potential and increase their control over resources and access to opportunities.
“We will continue to lead and support advocacy for an enabling policy environment and ensuring women’s active engagement in advocacy and community engagement,’’ she assured.
She used the occasion of 2022 International Women’s Day to on behalf of PPFN to call on all stakeholders to rededicate and reposition themselves to improving the quality of life for our women and girls.
“On our part, we will continually support Nigeria’s women in their quest to realize their full potential. We are deeply committed to supporting any initiative aimed at addressing various challenges and barriers they face in their day to day engagement and interaction with the society,’’ she said.
She reiterated the commitment of PPFN to continue to engage in initiatives that geared toward the advancement of women; and promote the celebration of women’s achievement.
. Highlight of the 2022 International Women’s Day (IWD) was provision of cervical cancer screening and Family Planning (FP) services for women.
There was also distribution of male and female condoms, as well as the provision of self-test kit for HIV and other diseases.
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