In commemoration of the African Women's Day, Ipas Nigeria Health Foundation has expressed commitment to efforts aimed at ensuring reproductive justice and well-being of women and girls in Nigeria.

The Country Director, Ipas Nigeria Health Foundation, Lucky Palmer, in his message to commemorate the African Women's Day said that Ipas remains committed to providing unhindered access to contraceptives and ending unsafe abortions as well as stoping Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Nigeria.

The theme of African Women's Day for this year was 'Towards the African Women's Decade: Realising Women's Human Capital through accelerated social and economic development, addressing the scourge of violence, food insecurity and good nutrition on the African continent'.

Palmer said the theme resonates with Ipas Nigeria Health Foundation's goal of ensuring that every woman and girl on the African Continent, has the right to their bodily autonomy free from all forms of violence and discrimination.

He lamented that Nigeria is confronted with high incidences of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), which sometimes results in unwanted pregnancies, leading to unsafe abortions, thereby contributing to the already high maternal mortality rate in the country.

According to him, "Nigeria is a signatory to the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol), a framework which is indigenous to the African People and specifically provides for the bodily autonomy of women and girls across Africa. Women with wellspaced children can support family livelihood, which enhances household food security."

His words "Ipas Nigeria Health Foundation is committed to ending unsafe abortions, SGBV

and providing unhindered access to contraceptives, putting us at the forefront

as advocates for reproductive justice."

"Through our work at the National and

State levels, we advocate for policies and law reforms that promote women's rights and challenge harmful social norms in the communities that act as barriers to women and girls' access to comprehensive sexual reproductive health services."

"On this memorable day of the African Women, We call on the Government in

Nigeria and across Africa to prioritize the lives and well-being of women and girls. We believe that domesticating the Maputo protocol will ensure that all barriers inhibiting women and girls in Nigeria from exercising their rights to bodily autonomy are removed."

"We also use this medium to congratulate the Pan-African Women's Organisation (PAWO), a specialized agency of the African Union, on her 60th anniversary. We appreciate their important role in mobilizing African women on the continent and the Diaspora to rally around collective struggles for a free and prosperous Africa."

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