Delta has attained 35% affirmative for women – Commissioner

Delta State Government says the state has attained the 35 per cent affirmative action for women in elective and appointive offices.

Mrs Florence Alatan, State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Community and Social Development,  stated this on Wednesday in Asaba.

She was speaking with newsmen as part of events to mark the 2021 International Women’s Day with the theme: Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a COVID-19 World.

Alatan noted that the occasion was aimed at highlighting the achievements and challenges facing the womenfolk in the state.

She said Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa-led administration had given lots of women political appointments including the emergence of 17 victorious women Vice Chairmen in the recent local government elections in the state.

The commissioner explained that the different categories of women had also been empowered by the state government, such as increase in health care services for pregnant women, the empowerment of young girls with vocational skills and plans to assist widows living with HIV.

However, on COVID-19, Alatan said that women experienced an increase in domestic and sexual violence during the pandemic, noting that efforts were on to prosecute offenders and rehabilitate victims of reported cases.

Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs Kevwe Agas, observed that women had achieved equal opportunity in the state in spite of the challenges facing them.