The National Council of Women Society (NCWS), Cross River Chapter, says equality between men and women is key for global progress.
The President of NCWS, Cross River chapter, Mrs Majorie Asuquo, said this during a news briefing on Thursday in Calabar, in commemoration of International Women’s Day, which is celebrated annually on March 8.
Asuquo decried the exclusion of women from decision-making processes, hence, calling for greater representation.
“Women are part of society.
“It is even said that women make up to 50 percent of the world’s population, and we are very proud we are this large.
“We have been organizing a series of activities to let the world see the importance of women; we want Africa, specifically, to recognize us in every facet of life.
“The women have been so marginalized that to bring the women to terms with equality and development will take nothing less than 135 years,” she said.
According to the president, the girl child is part of the women, because some day, she will grow up to become a woman, therefore, demanding inclusivity in every aspect of life.
Similarly, a former president of the chapter, Mrs Grace Ekanem, said that there was a need to address social and cultural norms that perpetuate gender inequalities.
Ekanem said that if a girl child was denied education, a whole generation had been denied such, because of the roles women played in educating the next generation.
“We need to encourage the education of the girl child; take a look at Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and you will see that many women have the capacity for greatness,” she said. (NAN)
