The Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, has demanded for enabling environment in the community that preserves the rights of women, and the girl child.
The monarch, while speaking at the maiden town hall meeting with the theme, ‘Strengthening Family and Community Bonds’, held at his palace at Ake, Abeokuta also highlighted the roles men must play in preserving such rights
Describing the lack of cultural values as the bane and loss of community bond, he encouraged community leaders, political and security agencies to see the issues around family and the community as germain in the social development of the country.
Delivering his keynote speech, the former director, Institute of Public Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof. Ajao Adelekan, lamented that the influence of social media on the family, and community must be checked, in order to arrest the rising cases of gender violence.
He added that the Nigerian cultural values should be reinforced, while urging government at all levels to ensure the enforcement of gender based laws, with inherent prosecutions.
Part of the communique issued at the end of the engagement includes, to encourage religious and community leaders to routinely speak on issues of family during sermons and community meetings.
It also tasked security agencies in the country to allow the law takes its full course and not resolve issues of abuse as a family dispute, among others.
The town hall meeting which is an initiative of Women Radio FM, with support from Ford Foundation and Voice of Women Empowerment Foundation had in attendance various speakers and discussants drawn from all sections of the society.