By Asmau Ahmad
United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr Edward Kallon says the UN will continue to collaborate with relevant stakeholders to reduce Gender Based Violence (GBV) across the globe.
Represented by Ms Ulla Mueller, UNFPA Country Representative, Kallon stated this at the 37th Annual Meeting and Scientific Conference of Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria (APHPN) in Abuja on Thursday.
He called for continuous advocacy by civil societies to amplify the harmful effects of GBV and the urgent need to end it. Kallon expressed optimism on the possibility of having a world in future when women and girls would live without fear.
“We must work together, we must transform our social norms and we must increase access for financing women,” he said.
Ms Ulla Mueller, Country Representative UNFPA, emphasized the need for engagement of medical practitioners in meeting the needs of Gender Based Violence survivors.
Mueller, represented by Ms Erica Goldson, Deputy Country Representative l, UNFPA, tasked public health physicians to champion the war against GBV.
She described GBV as a threat to national development and impediment to women’s and girls’ growth.
She appreciated the commitment of physicians in ending the scourge in the country.
National Chairman of the Association of Public Health Physicians of Nigeria (APHPN), Prof Benjamin Uzochukwu declared zero tolerance for GBV.
Uzochukwu, who expressed the stand of physicians against all forms of violence against women and girls, called on States to domesticate Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) act.
He commended the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) for giving them such opportunity to contribute in the fight against GBV.
