ActionAid Nigeria (AAN), a Non-Governmental Organisation, in partnership with a youth movement, Activista Nigeria, who organised the ‘Street March’, said there was need to secure a violence-free workplace for women.
The march tagged “Fair’s Fair”, is aimed at promoting campaign for women; improving women’s occupational health safety and deepening awareness on effective and accountable public services to address the Care/Work Burden of women’s labour.
Mrs Ene Obi, Country Director of AAN, said it was important for the Federal and State governments to ensure women workers in public, private and informal sectors had the protection guaranteed in labour laws.
Obi, who was represented by Mrs Tasalar Chibok, Director of Programme (AAN), said the organisation was supporting the women to demand for equal pay for the same labour delivered by both men and women.
“ActionAid believes that the duo must regulate, enforce and punish all employers, who violate labour laws and women’s rights.
“There are so many reported cases of workers being denied minimum wage, secure employment, maternity or sick pay, injury insurance and compensation, being prevented from forming unions and collective bargaining.
“There are no effective mechanisms put in place to report violence, harassment or abuse, without risking and losing their jobs, these are violations of workers’ rights and these must stop.”
Obi added that the inability of women and girls, to access safe public services was a violation to their rights to education, health mobility and employment.
She demanded for equity in payment of salaries, while also curbing sexual harassment in work places.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the women and girls carried placards with inscriptions such as “Stop gender discrimination”, “Nigeria’s informal work sector is unregulated and it is negatively affecting women the most” during the street march. (NAN)
