We Need Stiffer Penalties For Gender Violence – Paulen Tallen

Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Paulen Tallen, has called for harsher penalties against perpetrators of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Nigeria.

She revealed this at a recent interactive session on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) with journalists by UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Abuja on Thursday.

Paulen, who was represented by Mrs Funke Oladipo, the Director, Women and Gender Affairs, Ministry of Women Affairs, said Nigerian ladies want capital punishment for perpetrators of GBV.

According to her, rape is on the rise and the best way to end it is via capital punishment.

She also hailed the UNFPA and other stakeholders for their zealous strides in tackling the challenges, especially in the North East.

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Pauline Kedem Tellen OFR was (born 8 January 1959). She is a Nigerian politician. In 1999, she was appointed Minister of State for science and technology to the cabinet of former president, Olusegun Obasanjo. In 2007, she became the deputy governor of Plateau State and the first woman to be a deputy governor in northern Nigeria. she also contested to be governor of the state in 2011, but lost to Jonah Jang. She is presently a member, board of trustees of All Progressive Congress, and was honoured as woman of the year for her contribution to Nigeria at the 10th African Icon of Our Generation Award. She is a board member of National Agency for Control of Aids (NACA).

Tallen is a native of Shendam, to the family of Kattiems. She got a degree in sociology at the University of Jos in 1982.

Tellen political career started in 1976, when she was the clerical officer at Shendam local government council, then later ministry of local government affairs. In 2011, she joined Labour Party (Nigeria), then contested in the gubernatorial election of the state. By 1994, she was made a councillor in Plateau State. She was made commissioner in the state by the military government between 1994 and 1999.

She is married to John Tallen, a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party. They have five children.