As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to celebrate the 2018 International Women Day (IWD) various groups, international agencies and private individuals called for more support for women.
The stakeholders canvassed support for women in accessing health and to be part of decision making process in the country.

The Executive Director, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr Natalia Kanem said, the economic inequalities plaguing much of the world today, were reinforced by many other forms of inequality, including inequalities in sexual and reproductive health.
“Over 200 million women, many of them poor and living in rural and remote parts of the world lack access to voluntary family planning methods and more than 800 pregnant women many in fragile socio-economic situations die each day from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth,” she said.
Dr Kanem said without addressing the discrimination that these women faced in both private and public spheres, many of them would remain caught in a vicious cycle of poverty, repeated pregnancies, diminished capabilities, unfulfilled human rights and unrealized potential. “The denial of reproductive rights not only harms individuals, it can also put a drag on economies and stifle countries’ development.”
The Charter President of Soroptimist International of Gwarinpa, Dr Helen Okeleka-Adesanye in celebrating the day also urged organisations and groups to intensify support to the cause of the women.
Okeleka-Adesanye said such groups should not stop until they impact positively on the lives of less-privileged women in the society.