BY RITA OYIBOKA
THE Delta State Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development, in collaboration with UN Women, has taken a decisive lead in the fight against gender-based violence, as Ubulu-Uno Kingdom formally proclaimed the abolition of harmful practices, including Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), sexual violence, harmful widowhood rites and female disinheritance.
The proclamation was signed yesterday, at a high-level town hall meeting in Ubulu-Uno, Aniocha South Local Government Area, marking the formal close of the state’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. The event convened a broad coalition of stakeholders, NGOs, traditional leaders, women and youth leaders, and community members.
Speaking at the occasion, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Princess Pat Ajudua, said the proclamation was not ceremonial, but a strategic milestone in a process that began last year to embed the Guidelines for the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls into the daily life of Ubulu-Uno.
“This declaration sends a strong message that Ubulu-Uno is committed to upholding the rights of women and girls and is prepared to serve as a model for other communities in Delta State and beyond,” Ajudua said.
She stressed that violence against women and girls remained a major social and developmental threat, undermining families, weakening social cohesion and stalling sustainable development.
“The protection of women and girls is not charity. It is governance. It is a collective responsibility of government, traditional institutions, and citizens. This event marks the beginning of sustained accountability, not the end of engagement,” she said.
The commissioner disclosed that structured dialogues, sensitization programmes and capacity-building sessions carried out in the community over the past year had laid a functional framework for implementation, making the proclamation enforceable beyond rhetoric.
“This is not a one-day headline. The structures are already on ground – from traditional leadership to schools, families, women groups and youth bodies. What we are seeing today is the public seal on a process already in motion,” she added, noting that Ubulu-Uno would serve as a pilot community, with plans to replicate the initiative across other kingdoms in the state.
In his proclamation, the traditional ruler of Ubulu-Uno, HRM Obi Henry Kikachukwu, declared the immediate and total abolition of practices including FGM, harmful widowhood rites, sexual abuse, child exploitation, female disinheritance and economic neglect of women and children.
The monarch said the decision followed wide consultations and a reassessment of traditions that “silence victims and weaken the moral foundation of leadership.”
“Culture must protect life and dignity. Any practice that does otherwise has no legitimacy,” he said, warning that anyone found perpetuating or concealing acts of gender-based violence would face community sanctions and the full weight of state law.
He further pledged the kingdom’s commitment to promote girl-child education, protect survivors with dignity and confidentiality, and work directly with the Ministry of Women Affairs, law enforcement agencies and civil society groups to ensure enforcement.
The monarch noted that because many people might not fully understand this shift, continuous sensitisation and sustained advocacy would follow the proclamation.
A highlight of the occasion was the presentation of a plaque to the monarch in recognition of his commitment to the eradication of gender-based violence and harmful practices in the community.
