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"ADVOCACY FOR A BETTER IMPLEMENTATION OF WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN NIGERIA" was drafted by WiLDAF/FeDDAF-NIGERIA under the supervision of the WiLDAF/FeDDAF Sub-Regional Office for West Africa. It is designed within the scope of the "Sensitisation and capacity building of judicial and extra judicial stakeholders for the effective implementation of the rights of women in West Africa" project, which aims at contributing to improve the
effectiveness of women's rights in Nigeria as well as in Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Senegal and Togo.
In an easy to understand manner, this document is designed first and foremost for medical doctors, traditional rulers and religious leaders, and will be useful during the national sensitisation and information days organised for them. We are counting on the trained stakeholders to in turn, circulate it among their peers. It can also be profitably consulted by Magistrates, lawyers, and police officers who constantly use the texts of the law in their daily activities, for a better understanding of women's rights and appreciation of the gender implication when addressing the needs of women who solicit their services.
WiLDAF/FeDDAF in producing this material, wanted people to understand and admit that today, the respect and effective implementation of women's rights really contribute to the well-being of all and that every society must strive to achieve a human-faced and sustainable development with the effective participation of women. The acceptance of this vision is the fruit of the protests of women's rights organisations that demanded and obtained recognition of the fundamental rights granted to every individual at the international and national levels. The evidence of this is the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) adopted in 1979 and ratified by all West African States.
For over two decades now, this Convention has been implemented and successes recorded, however women in reality continue to face difficulties pertaining to the effective enjoyment of their rights. The analysis reveals that
this situation does not solely depend on them and women's rights organisations, but also, to a large extent, on other stakeholders who intervene in the legal or informal settlement of conflicts generated by the violations they suffer. These stakeholders are those targeted by the project in whose scope this document has been drafted.
By devoting a great part to the problems arising in the daily lives of women, this document advocates for the implementation of rights recognized by the various actors. It is hoped that it will not leave any reader indifferent but rather incite them to action along with other actors in their determination to take up this challenge for a society free of discrimination based on sex.
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