International Women’s Day: FIDA asks Edo to end assault on women

The International Federation of Women Lawyers has called on the Edo State Government ‎to formulate tax policies capable of alleviating the plight of indigent women across the state.

The state Chairperson of FIDA, Mrs. Maria Edeko, who made the call during a press briefing to mark the 2017 International Women’s Day, decried what she described as the assault on market women by illegal revenue collectors.

Edeko, therefore, urged the government to take effective measures to not only end the anomaly but also ensure that the perpetrators were brought to book.

She said, “At the New Benin market, the touts are assaulting our women. So, it is a call on government that we should have a responsible tax regime‎ where a women can decently go to a tax office and pay their tax.

“They (touts) assault and batter the women. That is unacceptable to women. So, government has a role to play in this aspect.

She noted that the theme of this year’s edition, ‎”Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030,” emphasised the need to address the socio-cultural barriers impeding on the economic and political development of women in Nigeria.

Edeko, who stated that a male dominated world would not improve the condition of women, urged women to speak up against discrimination.

She said, “We have asked in the past and we have continued to demand that the 35 per cent affirmative action should be made a constitutional requirement. In the Edo State House of Assembly, we have only one woman.

“She cannot make a change because he who pays the piper dictates the tune.‎ It is going to be a mirage if women do not take their destinies in their hands‎.”