AWLA is wishing all the African Children HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD and enjoins them to focus on education and prioritise it. Give education 90% attention. Give it your best and you’ll be glad you did!!!
The International Day of the African Child is commemorated on June 16 annually since 1991 to honour the young South African students in Soweto who were ambushed and massacred by the Police on 16 June 1976 for daring to protest against education injustice and inequality in the apartheid regime.
Despite this monumental sacrifice, the African Child is still denied education
With 244 million girls and boys, between 6 and 18 years, worldwide out of school in 2021 of which 118.5 million were girls and 125.5 million were boys.Almost 100 million of them are in sub-Saharan Africa.
AIM
The Day of the African Child is aimed at celebrating the children of Africa, promoting their rights, inspire reflection and action towards addressing the challenges they face on a daily basis.
THE 2023 THEME
“The Rights of the Child in the Digital Environment.” this apt and in season considering the global shift to Digital Environment. In order not to leave anyone behind it is indeed pertinent to note the importance of information technology and the need to equip the African Child and protect their right to quality education.
WORRISOME STATISTICS
It’s worrisome to note:
1. In 2019, 34 million children in primary education age in Africa were not enrolled in school. This number decreased from 45 million in 2000. On the other hand, the number of adolescents and young people not enrolled at the secondary level increased March 2023
2. Over 400 million children are currently living on the African continent – and the number is rising. The United Nations estimates that Africa’s population will double to 2.4 billion by 2050. That’s one quarter of the world’s population
3. “10.5 million children are out of school in Nigeria, which is the highest rate in the world. The figure indicates that one-third of Nigerian children are not in school, and one in five out-of-school children in the world is a Nigerian.”24 Jan 2022
4. The figures in Nigeria have oscillated between 10.5 million and around 15 million for more than a decade, with the situation growing worse due to the degenerating security situation in the country.
Download full address here AWLA DAY OF THE AFRICAN CHILD 2023
International Women’s Day 2022
“Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow”
#BreakTheBias
We at African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) celebrate every woman today and always. WOMAN, You make the world a beautiful place and exude love in the world. You’re smart, unique, beautiful, brainy and brawny. You bring about order and peace, you work round the clock ensuring growth and development. Even when denied the opportunity to showcase your talents, abilities and capabilities. you nevertheless work from your little corner impacting humanity daily. You are the solution to the world’s problems. The earlier the world realizes this the better for humanity.
You’re a dreamer, a believer, a doer, an achiever, an inspiration. YES that’s who you are, Woman!
You are fierce, bold, daring and unbroken!
Being a woman itself is a superpower!
You’ve got the power!
You’re a queen, you rule the world
Life has no existence without a strong ally in ‘Woman’ in every stage of life starting from motherhood to wife, from sister and finally a daughter. Can leadership achieve much without a woman? This is the missing link, the reason for the crisis in the world and the merry go round, yes they need women. Woman, you are needed in the leadership equation to balance, for peace to reign in the world. It is no secret that the future is female.
On this special day we want to let you know WOMAN that we acknowledge your power, that you’re special, appreciated and needed. We at AWLA
are ready to activate your power. – your right is your right and that we at AWLA will go the extra mile to protect your rights and interests pro bono ( free of charge) anď give you a voice. This is our way of breaking the bias
We urge you to encourage, support and lift any woman around you in your own little way and you’ll be amazed at the extent that little help can go to save a whole family – and or community or nation- this is a way of breaking the bias
International Women’s Day 2022 theme is “Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow”
Gender equality is the key to sustainable development and a sustainable future. The SDGs highlight that Goal 5 is the key to attaining all the other goals. We must be more intentional and deliberate in attaining gender parity.
International Women’s Day is a global celebration of women, marked annually on March 8 and it’s the day
dedicated to honour women’s socio economic achievements.
It marks a call to a gender equal world – free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination and one that is, inclusive, equitable, diverse and participatory while differences are valued and celebrated.
It also marks an invitation to commit to empowerment of women, as well as raise funds to support women and girls.
It offers an opportunity for reflection on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played a major, exemplary and or extraordinary role in the history of their communities and countries.
The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity with significant activities such as gender parity campaigns, rallies, seminars and symposiums carried out worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women.
The date was chosen to commemorate the day women in Soviet Russia commenced protests for the right to vote which was granted in 1917. It acknowledges the value and the importance of women in our lives and all around the world – as moulders of destinies, home makers and builders, peacemakers, dogged fighters, selfless servants and sacrificers for humanity, workaholics, bridge builders, great leaders as well as their intuitiveness, resilience and doggedness.
The campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2022 is #BreakTheBias. We are not unaware of the bias, however, Knowledge of their existence is not enough, action is needed to level the playing field. What action are you taking today? Join us to Break the Bias!!! Bias, conscious or unconscious, makes it difficult for women to forge ahead in their personal lives, family and careers. The National Assembly has recently revealed to the world the level of bias against women in voting out all the five Gender Bills seeking inclusiveness, participation and parity for women. These Lawmakers are our Fathers, Uncles, Brothers. Husbands, Inlaws, Colleagues and Friends, but they failed us. The shock is maiming! That even in settling for the crumbs, we could be this humiliated, haba! WOMEN wake up from your slumber, power is never given, you’ve got to fight for it! It’s time to use the power you wield.
You’ve got the greatest political strength ( over 49% women population) but we failed to utilize it. It’s time to use it. No sentiments! No stomach infrastructure, No divide and rule- No No and No
United, we can break all bias and barriers
We can stop settling for the crumbs.
Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.
We must take individual and or collective deliberate and intentional action to break the bias or the bias will break us. YES it’s time to BREAK THE BIAS!
Break the bias now!!! BREAK BREAK AND BREAK THE BIAS NOW!!!!
LET’S MAKE THIS HAPPEN, BREAK THE BIAS!!!
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY!!!
Mandy Asagba
President
African Women Lawyers Association ( AWLA)
3/8/2022
+234 913 500 0501
+234 903 740 4272
www.awlanigeria.org
Source:
UN.org
The African Women Lawyers Association AWLA Nigeria will hold its Parley on Tuesday 22nd day of August 2017 at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos State.
The Parley is hosted yearly by the hosting state branch of AWLA during the Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference (NBA-AGC).
It is the coming together of AWLANs all over the federation and some African countries, with friends and well-wishers of AWLA, female law students and invited guests.
In a press statement issued and signed by the President of AWLA, Mandy Asagba and Vice-President ‘Peju Oduye-Quadri, it has become a yearly tradition to hold the AWLA’s Parley in order to reflect, take stock of AWLA’s achievements and challenges and further seek suggestions on how the organization can improve and impact in the area of protecting and advancing the rights and interests of women and children better.
The Parley will also serve as an avenue to network and discuss issues affecting women Lawyers generally. It promises to be an interesting event with side attractions which will feature traditional dance groups, comedy, music and drama. The Parley commences 12 noon prompt while dress code is black suit or dress.
The Acting President of the African Women Lawyers Association, AWLA, Nigeria, S. Adepeju Oduye-Quadri, has reiterated the need to maintain the tempo in the struggle for quality rights for girls in Africa.
Mrs. Oduye-Quadri, in a statement on Sunday, stated that “Every October 11 the world observes the International Day of the Girl Child in accordance with the UN declaration of 2011 that October 11 should be specifically observed as the international day of the girl child. Therefore it has now become a day to celebrate the uniqueness of the girl child as well as amplify the unique challenges the girl child is facing on a daily basis.
“The theme for this year 2020 is My Voice, Our Equal Future and it addresses the global call to action that we should:
- Improve the lives of girls and aspire to make their lives better wherever we are.
- Increase the need for girl activism.
- Demand for laws to free the girl child from sexual and gender based violence, including the removal of cultural, social, educational and economic obstacles that are impeding their wellbeing and progress.
- In line with the aims of the 2030 Agenda for the SDGs that we should leave no one behind, it calls for a reflection and commitment on our responsibilities towards the girl child. For we are all stakeholders for the girl child. The Beijing Platform For Action also recently listed the protection of the girl child as one of the twelve (12) main areas of concern.
“In view of this, AWLA Nigeria therefore is calling out for a positive change in this regard, We must continue to strive to protect and preserve the rights and interests of our girls. The focus should be to generally secure the human rights of all girls even in this period of COVID-19 pandemic which exposed them to various challenges. Girl – child rape, defilement and abduction is still on the increase. It has become a scourge and the girl child is no longer safe. That is why the theme for this year is apt. let us raise our voices against the challenges they face so they can be safe and in turn, they will have the opportunity to excel now and in the future. Thank you all.” Oduye-Quadri said.
Background
In 1995 at the World Conference on Women in Beijing countries unanimously adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action – the most progressive blueprint ever for advancing the rights of not only women but girls. The Beijing Declaration is the first to specifically call out girls’ rights.
On December 19, 2011, United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.
The International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights.
The demand for an end to the series of killings recorded in Port Harcourt, Rivers State was further pushed by members of the International Federation of Women Lawyers and the African Women Lawyers Association local branches on Wednesday.
The protest, spearheaded by the Women in Rotary, Port Harcourt South, had 77 groups and individuals marching the street in a solemn walk against the recent murders of women in the state.
For the right to life, the women walked
Since the beginning of September, Nigerians have be inundated with chilling reports of cold blood murder of young women in hotel rooms following a similar pattern—strangulation.
A motel located in the Rumuola area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, was on Sunday sealed off after the body of a young woman was discovered in one of its rooms.
It was gathered that an unknown man had lodged in the hotel with the young woman.
The incident was the latest after another young woman was found dead in a hotel last Saturday in Obo, Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the state.
The Protesters’ Demands
We say NO to these acts of violence and demand JUSTICE for the slain women and return of a peaceful and conducive social environment to our State. We,in the light of these violations of the rights of our women and girls have therefore embarked on this Peace Walk to STATE AND DEMAND as follows:
A thorough,unbiased and speedy investigation by the Police into all reported cases of killing of women in hotels and Motels in Rivers State and the arrest and prosecution of the culprit(s) and accomplices within 14 DAYS of this Publication.
2.A Public apology by the Police as regards the statement they made that was reported in the media branding the victims of these killings prostitutes without any proof whatsoever.
3.The mandatory installation of CCTV cameras and other necessary security gadgets around hotel premises in the State.
4.The proper identification of all Guests and details of every visitor received by their Guests while in the hotel.
5.Institution of new universal hotel policies that would include capturing of guests and visitors data, recording gadgets and equipment,among others.
6.Police emergency numbers to be posted on all hotel rooms and emergency lines at reception desk.
We therefore call on the Police to intensify their efforts and to setup dedicated phone lines and an Emergency response Unit for female victims of homicide and Sexual Violence.
On Hotel proprietors to cooperate with the Police in their efforts to fish out the killers of our women and girls and to report all shady or suspicious characters promptly to the Police, while training their staff on security measures. On members of the public, especially the women in Rivers State to be alert and avoid any questionable clandestine meetings and report any suspicious person to the Law enforcement Agencies.
We must be our sisters’ keepers!
In conclusion while we are aware that the State Government has commenced action on this issue, we urge that it should be accorded utmost priority at this time. No effort should be spared to bring an end to this menace which is very disheartening and therefore requires very serious and urgent interventions by all and sundry. We must not forget that the woman is the heart of the nation and when you hurt a woman, you hurt the entire family, State and the Nation.
The time for Action is now. SAVE OUR SOULS!
Banjul, 27 June 2019: The “Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa” (IHRDA) and the African Women Lawyers Association, Nigeria Branch (AWLA-Nigeria) on 26 June 2019 filed an action against the Federal Republic of Nigeria before the ECOWAS Court of Justice for the violation of the rights of a young woman who was raped in Lagos in 2011.
The Applicant in the case submits that even though the perpetrator was charged to Court, the Court proceedings are yet to be concluded 8 years after the rape. The Applicant alleges violations of the right to a remedy and right to freedom from gender-based discrimination among others.
Updates
10 May 2021: Court notifies parties of postponement of hearing from 12 May 2021 to 23 September 2021.