The Women Centre for Self Empowerment and Development (WOCSED), an NGO, has advocated for peace within the South-East to stem the tide of violence in the zone.
The Executive Director of WOCSED, Mrs Onyeka Obi, said in a statement in Enugu recently that women and girls bear the brunt more during violence or conflict situations.
Obi noted that the spate of violence in the zone as well as the country was growing daily, while it affects women the most.
According to her, women must be active agents of peace and the government must recognise women as key players and change agents of peace in every peace negotiations.
She said: “Women are the central caretakers of the families and everyone is affected when women are excluded from peace building.
“Therefore, the hour has come for the women from South-East to say no to all forms of sexual, domestic and communal violence.
“All women in various South-East states- Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo – must speak with one voice and advocate to the governors to rise up and end the violence, especially those affecting families.”
Obi said that there was a need for a peaceful zone to engender even development that would ensure that youths have jobs and also be employers of labour.
The executive director also urged government and other levels of authorities to actively involve women at every stage of strategic peace planning, building and implementation.
She said: “All South-East politicians should deepen democracy and help the zone to get to the root of these violence situations.
“Women can no longer keep quiet in these violence situations. The time to act is now.
“Every traditional ruler in every community in Igbo land should wake up and be security conscious of their environment, enough is enough.”
