IMPACT OF UNITED FORCE IN THE PROMOTION OF PEACE, DEFENSE OF WOMEN RIGHTS, INCLUSION OF WOMEN IN COMMUNITY GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES IN OUR COMMUNITIES A CASE STUDY OF ISU-AMAWU AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY OF ELUAMA IN ISUIKWUATO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ABIA STATE
IMPACT OF UNITED FORCE IN THE PROMOTION OF PEACE, DEFENSE OF WOMEN RIGHTS, INCLUSION OF WOMEN IN COMMUNITY GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES IN OUR COMMUNITIES A CASE STUDY OF ISU-AMAWU AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY OF ELUAMA IN ISUIKWUATO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF ABIA STATE
The absence of a united women development association in Isu-Amawu autonomous community in Eluama of Isuikwuato local government area, Abia state since 2006 came to end in august 2022.
Before August 2022, it was un-common to have a meaningful peace among the women of Isu-Amawu, inheritance rights of the women are denied, and are treated as no body. These things were going on because there is no platform where the women can complain when they are treated badly especially when the husband is no more.
However, the Eluama communities through one of their community traditional rulers His Royal Highness Eze Faraday Chinekwe sort the partnership of the communities of Eluama and Development Education Centre in her Women Rights Education and Empowerment programme to help bring about even development in the area.
This programme offered the women of Eluama the opportunity to organize themselves into strong community based organization to promote peace, fight and promote women rights, ensure the rights of women inheritance right is promoted and protected, and engage the men for statutory inclusion of women in the community governance structures.
In carrying out these objectives of the women in Eluama, the women realized that one great impediment is the non-existence of a viable women community based organization in Isu-Amawu autonomous community.
So the women using the trainings, advocacy technics and methodologies, consultation visits, and lobbying practices learnt from DEC Enugu to mediate the troubled sections and groups of the Isu-Amawu women.
The result of these actions by the DEC Women Empowerment Project Implementation Committee (PIC) AND The 100 Women Group in Eluama revived the Isu-Amawu community women development association in August 2022.
The women of Isu-Amawu are today part of the traditional ruler’s council in Eluama community in Isukwuato LGA of Abia state. The women now made it mandatory that any women that lost her husband whether she has a child or not should inherit her late husband’s property. Long period mourning has been reduce according to the widows choice
Bravo to DEC Enugu and her 100 women empowerment programme in South East and part of Kogi state, Nigeria.
Ogazi Christopher
CPIO DEC Enugu