WOMEN’S MARCH ON THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2017
International Women’s Day is annually held on March 8 to celebrate women’s achievements throughout history and across nations. To celebrate the day, WARDC and other women groups will be having a March in Lagos to push for women’s issues in the state.
The theme for the 2017, International Women’s Day is “Be Bold for Change”. The Women’s March will serve as a platform to present the different issues that women face in their own context, and pushing for the gender pact in the State to be adopted as a Gender Policy.
The Women’s March is a women-led movement bringing together people of all genders, ages, races, cultures, political affiliations, disabilities and backgrounds in Lagos state on the 8th of March 2017 to affirm women’s rights and call for specific actions to be taken on women issues in Lagos State. The walk will involve over 1000 women from various sectors in Lagos State including; professional women, religious organisations, market women, gender equality advocates, other women from the formal and informal sectors among others calling for specific actions to be taken on women issues in Lagos State.
Sometimes in April 2015, His Excellency the Executive Governor of Lagos State signed a gender pact which was a 12 point demand to improve the state of women’s rights in relation to health, education, economy and poverty alleviation, vulnerable groups, decision making, environment, agriculture, child abuse and violence against women and security.
Women groups on whose behalf this letter is written, recognise the efforts of the administration in responding to concerns of women and girls in Lagos State and the positive steps taken in the protection of gender equality. However women are still concerned about the development in some sectors, health, women’s participation in governance, economic empowerment and other areas.
The Women’s March will take the form of a walk from Ikeja under bridge to the Office of His Excellency the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Governor Akinwumi Ambode between 7am and 9am and will end with a presentation of an advisory brief to His Excellency on issues of concern affecting women in Lagos State.
Details of the event are as follow:
Date : Wednesday 8th March, 2017
Venue : Ikeja underbridge.
Time : 7:00am.