Women participation in Anambra politics dropped in eight years: NGO

The group says it recorded 52 cases of violence against women during the Anambra guber election.

News Agency of Nigeria • November 13, 2021

A photo of women voting used to illustrate the story

A non-governmental organisation has raised alarm about the drop in women participation in Anambra politics in the past eight years.

The Gender Perspective and Social Development Centre (GPSDC) says the drop was due to “electoral violence such as threats; hate speech, assault and blackmail.”

Executive Director of GPSDC, Eucharia Anekwe, said the drop was what birthed the “Stop Violence against Women in Politics’’ (Stop-VAWIP) campaign in Anambra.

Held on Saturday in Awka, the Stop-VAWIP campaign is in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development and the National Democratic Institute.

Ms Anekwe said the Stop-VAWIP campaign was initiated so as to “raise awareness of violence against women in politics and election in the state.”

During the campaign, the group said it recorded 52 cases of violence against women in politics before and during the November 6 Anambra governorship election.

Not only has women’s political participation retrogressing in the past eight years, there is a disturbing trend of violence against women during elections in the state.

The group said they plan to improve women’s participation in leadership, governance and elective politics.

(NAN)

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