ABUJA – The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Nigeria chapter, on Tuesday, said it was set to hold a six-day conference in commemoration of the Association’s golden jubilee.
The President of the Association, Mrs Hauwa Shekarau, made the disclosure at a news conference in Abuja.
Shekarau said that the conference would begin on Oct. 31 and end on Nov. 5, with the theme: “Celebrating 50 Years of Investing in Women and Children.”
The FIDA president said “the objective of the conference is to take stock of FIDA’s achievements in the past 50 years and make projections for the years ahead on women and children issues.
“It will feature activities such as Jum’at service, community outreach and Church thanksgiving service on Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively, on the first three days.
“These will be followed by other activities like exhibitions, cultural night, media chat, documentaries and presentation of various conference papers on women issues at the plenary sessions.”
Shekarau added that the Association, which was founded in Mexico in 1944 and established in Nigeria in 1964, now with 32 state branches, was non-political, non-governmental and non-profit-making.
According to her, FIDA’s objectives include the promotion, preservation, protection and enforcement of the rights of women and children, especially that of the indigent in the society.
She said that the organisation had in the last 50 years rendered free legal services to women and children, carried out sensitisation programmes and legislative advocacy on women and children issues.
She noted that FIDA had over the years rendered free legal services to more than one million Nigerian women, including women who went to court to enforce their political mandates.
FIDA had also played key roles in fighting gender violence by pushing for the enactment of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Bill now before the National Assembly.
The female lawyers’ president said FIDA also recently partnered with other groups of like-minds to promote women’s access to justice. (NAN)
