Ogun State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice (Dr.) Mosunmola Dipeolu has described the activities of both International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) and National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ) as a fulcrum to foster women independence, gender equality and child preservation.

The Chief Judge disclosed this at the 1^st Retreat of the Ogun State Branch of the National Association of Women Judges, Nigeria held at International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Oyo State.

Emphasizing on the importance of the retreat, Hon. Justice Dipeolu described a woman as a nurturer, builder, home maker and care giver. His Lordship also noted that the pressure of work and family (Nuclear and extended) is huge for a woman maintaining that the society’sexpectation of a woman is very high asa woman is expected to be highly productive both at work and home.

In the words of His Lordship Hon. Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu “the woman is the nurturer, the builder, home maker and the care giver amidst all other things she is expected to be, as well as a Judge with grave responsibilities. Therefore we as female Judges need to be nourished and refreshed”.

According to Hon. Justice Dipeolu, the retreat with the theme “Healing Through the Courts: An Overview of Gender-Based Issues” was channeled to examine the prevalence of cases of gender based violence.

Citing March, 2022 Pan African Medical Journal (PAMG) on Gender Based Violence (GBV), His Lordship stated that“it was revealed that 89.9% of victims of Gender Based Violence were females and over a half 51.4% of the cases were in the age group 20 -39 years, 38.5% between 1-19 years. In total, 56.8% of the GBV cases had been sexually abused. It stated that on the average 1 in 25 females under the age of 40 years are sexually abused and 79.1% of the cases occur in urban areas”.

The Chief Judge further said, the fact that most culprits escape justice on technical grounds or for non-prosecution, encourages the perpetrators to continue in the act and enjoined Judges to ensure that justice is done at all times and not only in cases of gender based violence but across the board.

The International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 1991 whose members are mainly Judges around the world committed to equal justice for women.

Present at the retreat were the Chief Judge of Oyo State, Hon. Justice Iyabo Yerima, and Judges of Ogun and Oyo State Judiciaries.