The Honorable Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, OFR, KSG has pledged to have the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs not only to be a part of the ground breaking/foundation laying ceremony of a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Treatment, Rehabilitation and Research Centre which the Defense and Police Officer’s Wives Association (DEPOWA), a Civil Society Organization (CSO) is proposing to build, and to which it has requested the Minister to lead a delegation of Women, but also to key into the works of the centre to assist military and policemen who return from several crisis-torn situations as PTSD victims, come clean of such mental health issue.
Tallen saw clearly into the dangers of Military and Police men coming back from several war fronts where they’ve gone to fight for peace and from where they’ve been exposed to deprivations, injuries as well as internal psychological wounds which make some of them to exhibit Gender-Based Violence (GBV) at home with their wives, children and neighbours being victims. She therefore, emphatically told the DEPOWA delegation led by Barrister Vicky Anwuli Irabor, the 16th President of the Association which paid her a courtesy visit on Friday, 9th September, 2022 at her Office that they have her full understanding, sympathy and support in their quest.
The Minister added that her Ministry being charged with the responsibility of ensuring and supporting gender mainstreaming within Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, as well as Civil Society Organizations, as well as finding solutions to challenges of women, children and the vulnerable persons in our society will not seat astride, watching the wives, children and neighbors of military and police personnel returning from several theatres of conflicts, being victims of the violence which might be visited on them, because of what their fathers experienced at the war front.
She declared her Ministry’s support to find solutions to mitigate the high incidences of gender-based violence and to prevent more from happening anywhere at any time. “Improving the wellbeing and advancement of women and children, as well as the vulnerable in our society can only be effectively achieved through supportive institutional collaborations and reforms in the various sectors represented by different stakeholders; including from bodies as DEPOWA”, the Minister stated.
Dame Tallen went on to thank DEPOWA for the success they are making of the skills acquisition and empowerment programme for widows and dependents of military and policemen that died at theatres of war. “Let me also thank you for sustaining the skills acquisition and empowerment programmes for wives of personnel initiated by your predecessors.
“As a critical voice in the implementation of the United Nations Resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security, I would urge you to work closely with the Ministry to ensure that we scale up the target of mainstreaming Women voices in the support services provided by your Association.”
Tallen also invited DEPOWA to the upcoming the National Council on Women Affairs, a policy making body for harmonizing and managing issues of women, children and the vulnerable, to be able to report its successes and challenges.
Barrister Vicky Anwuli Irabor, the 16th President of the DEPOWA paid Minister Pauline Tallen a courtesy visit on Friday, 9th September, 2022, requesting her to lead women to the ground-breaking/foundation laying of a PTSD Treatment, Rehabilitation and Research Centre to cater first for Military personnel “but will invariable be opened to others. DEPOWA comprises of Nigeria Army Officers’ Wives; Nigeria Navy Officers’ Wives; Nigeria Air-Force Officers’ Wives and Nigeria Police Officers’ Wives Associations, all puled together and it is a registered Civil Society Organization under the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) whose President, Lami Adamu Lau was present at the DEPOWA meeting with the Honorable Minister.
