Gender needs assessment for Kaduna Metropolis, Nigeria

Type Working Paper - Columbia University Academic Commons
Title Gender needs assessment for Kaduna Metropolis, Nigeria
Author(s)
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2011
URL http://www.cisfp.org/download/Kaduna Gender Needs Assessment_VF_8_23_11.pdf
Abstract
Kaduna Metropolis is located in northern Nigeria and serves as the country's trade and transportation hub. It is the capital city of Kaduna State, the fourth largest city in the country and is one of the most populous Millennium Cities. Women in Kaduna face many challenges that prevent them from being guaranteed gender equality and empowerment. Girls in the city have had limited access to secondary school education, with poverty and early marriages often forcing them to forgo their education. Unsafe abortions and limited access to family planning prevent safe sexual and reproductive health. A number of women are unaware of their inheritance rights and freedom to purchase land due to inconsistent religious interpretations concerning these rights. Significant gaps exist in the employment sector demonstrated by income disparities and limited female representation in the private sector. Lastly, women have been unable to make significant legislative changes to overcome these challenges. The problems women face in the city are significant and will require comprehensive investment by the people and government. This needs assessment seeks to provide a roadmap that can put effective strategies in motion to achieve the third Millennium Development Goal (MDG 3)—promoting gender equality and empowering women – with specific interventions that include: A mass media campaign targeting families and religious leaders about the benefits of sending girls to secondary school, implemented in tandem with a university workshop for secondary school girls; Provide comprehensive family planning education in secondary schools; A public service announcement on women's and girls' property and inheritance rights that debunks misinformation about property rights and religious interpretations concerning inheritance rights. Increase legal representation for women dealing with property and inheritance cases; Vocational training focusing on ways women can run their own private businesses and a sensitization workshop that provides human resource administrators strategies to recruit qualified female employees; Workshops for female politicians and activists on how to campaign during elections and how to implement effective grassroots strategies. With an average annual investment of $3 per capita between 2011 and 2015, MCI believes Kaduna Metropolis can effectively promote gender equality and empower women. This needs assessment has four sections. Section One offers background information on Kaduna Metropolis as well as an overview of the objectives and limitations of the needs assessment and the major gender issues facing women and girls. Section Two provides a detailed data analysis, delving into some of the priority areas of MDG 3 in the city. Section Three discusses proposed interventions and their costs, and Section Four concludes with the study's findings and recommendations.

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