Kwara lawmaker advocates stronger laws to protect females

Rukayat Shittu, a member of the Kwara State House of Assembly representing Owode/Onire Constituency, has joined female parliamentarians from across West Africa in calling for enhanced legislative measures against violence targeting women and girls. Shittu's participation in the West Africa Female Parliamentarians CD Peer Review Conference in Accra, Ghana, underscored the urgent need for stronger legal frameworks and collaborative action.

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Violence against women and girls remains one of the most pressing challenges confronting our societies, and it demands stronger legislative action backed by effective implementation.

The three-day conference, organized by the Women in Politics Forum with support from UN Women West and Central Africa Regional Office and the European Union, brought together legislators, gender ministers, and development partners. Participants assessed current legislative responses to gender-based violence and identified areas requiring more robust implementation and regional cooperation.

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This conference has provided an important platform for lawmakers across West Africa to learn from one another, strengthen our legal frameworks and build regional partnerships that will better protect women and girls.

During the conference, Shittu emphasized that violence against women and girls remains a critical challenge demanding stronger legislative action and effective implementation. She highlighted the conference as a vital platform for West African lawmakers to share knowledge, refine legal frameworks, and forge partnerships to better protect women and girls.

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Our discussions highlighted the need for parliaments to go beyond enacting laws by ensuring effective oversight, implementation and adequate support systems for survivors of gender-based violence.

Shittu was part of a regional working group that included legislators from Ghana, Senegal, and Uganda. The group reviewed country-specific experiences and discussed legislative strategies for improving protection mechanisms. The lawmaker stressed that parliaments must move beyond merely enacting laws to ensure effective oversight, implementation, and adequate support systems for survivors of gender-based violence, emphasizing that collaboration among African legislators is essential for achieving lasting reforms.

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No country can address this challenge in isolation. By sharing experiences and best practices, we can collectively advance policies that guarantee the rights, safety and dignity of