To be released
6 am, March 7, 2023
Abuja
2023 International Women’s Day, CLEEN Foundation Admonishes Institutions to Tackle Root Causes of Gender Inequality
The recent statistics released by NBS suggest that women comprise around seventy percent of the poverty index provided and over two-thirds of the nation’s illiterate people. These two factors are barriers to women’s integration into the digital economy occupations. Becoming an engineer, let alone attending secondary school, is much harder when you live in extreme poverty and are not provided an elementary education. Targeting resources to build lasting institutions to increase access to quality education and an economic system that ensures no persons are subjected to the devastation of extreme poverty would have incredible benefits for innovation.
Further to this, women experience intersectional equity with respect to race, religion, and (dis)ability. This oftentimes legitimizes the dominance of men in the different spaces where women find themselves. Some work environments are averse to women, which translates to a negative impact on their prospects, potential, and progress. Sexual harassment, microaggression, unequal wages, cyber fraud, exclusion, and other forms of discrimination are largely targeted at women.
The human rights of women and of the girl-child are an inalienable, integral, and indivisible part of universal human rights. The full and equal participation of women in political, civil, economic, social, and cultural life, at the national, regional, and international levels, and the eradication of all forms of discrimination on grounds of sex are priority objectives of the international community. CLEEN Foundation as part of her organizational mandates continues to push for Gender Equity and Inclusivity in Nigeria, especially in the Justice Reform sector which is our focal point. Over the years, we have led peaceful demonstrations, organized awareness campaigns on social media, and invited women to hold educational and informative briefings for public dissemination. For 2023, we are all set to #EmbraceEquity in the digital space and beyond by involving all our team members to collectively lend our voice to this worthy cause.
Today, a persistent gender gap in digital access keeps women from unlocking technology’s full potential. Their underrepresentation in STEM education and careers remains a major barrier to their participation in tech design and governance. And the pervasive threat of online gender-based violence—coupled with a lack of legal recourse—too often forces them out of the digital spaces they do occupy.
CLEEN stands in solidarity with profound women who have dedicated this year’s International Women’s Day to achieving gender equity, recognizing that each person has different circumstances, and the exact resources and opportunities need to be accorded for an equal outcome. Today, we call on all institutions and people to #EmbraceEquity through a synthesized approach despite the diversity within the global communities of women, thereby promoting sustainability for the protection of communalistic orientation while also ensuring women are recognized and effectively function in society. Join the movement through our social media handles as we work towards a more inclusive future for all women.
Signed:
Gad Peter, Executive Director