By Austin Angwe, Makurdi
The Benue State branch of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, has commended the Concerned Women International Development Initiative, CWIDI, for its commitment to supporting vulnerable populations, particularly women and girls.
FIDA also called on CWIDI and other NGOs to extend their gender-based violence, GBV, awareness campaigns to rural communities and involve parents in promoting children’s rights.
FIDA State Chairperson, Barr. Blessing Tyohuun, made the remarks Monday during an official visit by CWIDI to the FIDA office in Makurdi.
She expressed FIDA’s willingness to partner with organization like CWIDI that shares the mission of protecting and empowering vulnerable groups.
“Our core mandate is protecting women and children,” Tyohuun said, stressing that when other organizations take up this cause, especially through practical initiatives like CWIDI’s, FIDA is ready to collaborate.
Tyohuun highlighted the increasing cases of GBV affecting children, particularly young girls, and announced that FIDA will launch a grassroots awareness campaign between July and August.
The outreach she said will include secondary schools, universities, and polytechnics, with a focus on educating adolescent girls and young women, AGYW, about their rights and the dangers of GBV, including cyberbullying.
She praised CWIDI’s planned interventions and assured FIDA’s support, saying: “Many young girls suffer online abuse without knowing it. They need to understand what GBV looks like and how to report it. We are committed to working with CWIDI to achieve that.”
FIDA equally reaffirmed commitment to supporting CWIDI and similar organisations working to end Gender Based Violence and protecting vulnerable groups in the state.
Immediate past chairperson of FIDA, Barr. Prisca Ula, also spoke about the exploitation of young girls online, including cases where their images are used for pornography without consent, stressing the importance of educating girls about sexual abuse and encouraging them to speak out.
“Victims are often silenced by shame or fear of damaging their reputation. We must dismantle those harmful stereotypes,” Ula said.
She advised CWIDI to continue integrating parental education into its programming and leverage public events like Mother’s Day and International Women’s Day to raise awareness about children’s rights and parenting responsibilities.
In her remarks, CWIDI’s Senior Programme Officer, Becky Gbihi, said the organization’s visit was to introduce its upcoming programme and invite FIDA’s executive members to a stakeholder meeting scheduled for July 2–3 in Makurdi, acknowledging FIDA’s long-standing leadership in advancing women’s rights and justice.
Gbihi explained that CWIDI’s planned programme will focus on educating adolescent girls, young women, and young female sex workers on TB, HIV/AIDS, and malaria prevention, stressing the connection between health and overall wellbeing.
She also presented CWIDI’s key advocacy asks to FIDA, aimed at strengthening justice systems for marginalized populations.
According to CWIDI’s Senior Programme Officer,the key advocacy ask will include promoting the collection and use of gender-disaggregated data in legal and justice processes.
Integrating GBV prevention and response in all legal aid and justice services and reducing barriers to justice for marginalized adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), especially those facing stigma.
She said the project would include AGYW who sell sex in Technical Working Groups (TWGs) across health, justice, and social sectors to ensure their voices are heard in decision-making, pointing out that
the advocacy priorities are central to ensuring inclusive justice and protection for all women and girls.
Gbihi expressed optimism that FIDA, with its reach and influence, could help champion these asks commending the organisation for the partnership.