I was honoured to be invited by The Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC, Secretary-General of The Commonwealth to speak at the Women Leaders Event – A Call for Action: Safeguarding the Wellbeing of Women and Children hosted at Marlborough House, ahead of the upcoming International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, attended by Her Majesty, Queen Camilla.

Joining champions such as Lady Dentaa Amoateng, MBE, HE Dr Fatima Maada Bio, First Lady Sierra Leone, HE Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow, First Lady The Gambia, HE Maryam Mwinyi, First Lady Zanzibar, HE Linda Rama, Spouse of the Prime Minister of Albania, Sarah Brown, Chair, Theirworld, Jane Randel, Founder NO MORE, Jude Kelly CBE, Founder The WOW Foundation, the event converged women leaders to examine the mental health and well-being of women and children.

Erin Kenney, Director, Gender, Diversity, Equity, and Human Rights a.i. World Health Organisation, moderated the panel on Domestic Violence and Mental Health: Impact on Women and Children, including myself, Dr. Nabeel Goheer from PATH, Dr. Stephen Burrell from Durham University, Dr. Sharifa Al Emadi from Doha International Family Institute, and Cleopatra Christie from the Bahamas Crisis Centre. In my remarks I called upon this unique gathering of women leaders to ensure our targets include reaching the primary frontline tiers of universal basic education and universal health coverage, for the most vulnerable.

According to WHO, one in four Nigerians, are living with a mental health disorder. I reflected on The Wellbeing Foundation Africa’s frontline programmes supporting women and children’s mental health, as WBFA midwives and school nurse-visitors, play crucial supporting roles as trusted community members, who witness the societal impact of domestic violence, recognizing it as a pervasive issue. Urgent action is needed to address this societal ill and align to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

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