March 16, (THEWILL)- A Gender Focal Person, APIN Public Health Initiatives, Mrs Lucia Torjir, has advocated for girls encouragement to pursue their careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), to bridge the wide gap between female folks and their male counterparts.
Speaking at an event to commemorate the 2024 International Women’s Day organised by APIN public health initiatives, in collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs, on Saturday, in Makurdi, Mrs Torjir lamented that STEM was usually viewed as a discipline exclusively reserved for males.
She emphasised that if the girl-child was encouraged to take up disciplines in science, technology, engineering and mathematics the society would be better for it.
The Focal Person therefore, sued for support for all females in leadership positions, emphasising that they should be given opportunities to enable them to contribute their quota to the development of the society.
Meanwhile, the State Team Approach (STA) Lead, Dr Sunday Inya, sought support for the women, calling for their empowerment to lead in all facets of life.
“Over time women have proven to deliver results in most responsibilities assigned to them. It is high to offer them more of such opportunities”, she advocated.
In her presentation, the Zonal Commander of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Benue State, Mrs Gloria Bai, lamented that a large percentage of traffickers were girls and young women, who were trafficked particularly for the sole purpose of sexual exploitation.
She added that people consider them as commodities for sex, noting that victims of trafficking need to be empowered, rehabilitated and reintegrated back into society.
She assured that NAPTIP under her, has devised some strategies to tame the tide of such negative practices in the state.
