and girls in the country. Although, CEDAW has not been made wholly a part of the Nigerian legal system it has continued to influence policy implementation by the Government as it relates to different areas of concern. Many laws have been passed over the years that support different principles of CEDAW. Enhancing Family Life The Nigerian Law Reform Commission has undertaken extensive reforms of the Nigerian Family Law, Law Relating to Rape and Other Sexual Offences as well as Laws on Marriage. The reforms specifically address issues pertaining to Section 55 of Chapter 198 of the 1990 Constitution, and section 360 of the Nigerian Criminal Code. Issues covered include: a) Testifying against a Spouse: Previously only women married by ordinance were protected from testifying in court against their husbands in criminal matters but by the reform, women married under customary and Islamic Laws are now covered. b) Divorce under customary and Islamic laws will now follow due process and besides return of dowry, divorce paper will now be obtainable. c) Customary and Islamic marriages can now be registered. d) Pregnant women no longer share cells with other detainees or prison inmates. e) Nursing mothers relieved of sharing cells with other detainees or prisoners. Expanding Employment Opportunities: Military Enlistment of Women To boost Women’s employment in the Military, a landmark achievement was made on 14 February 2010 when Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) commenced enlistment of female regular combatant officers with 20 females enrolled as pioneers. By 2013, the number increased to about 50 (Daily Trust, 2/2/2013). In recent years, women have also been deployed on peace keeping missions within and outside Nigeria. Advancing Women in Judiciary With recent developments in the Nigerian Judiciary, the acceptance of women’s leadership in strategic positions is anticipated to have positive ripple effects in other sectors. In 2012 a woman, Honourable Aloma Mouktar emerged as the first female Chief Justice and head of the Nigerian Judiciary and another female Judge —Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa emerged President of the Court of Appeal in 2014. So far about five States have appointed women as their Chief Judges and/or Attorney General. Such States are: Lagos, Ogun (CJ and AG are women), Oyo (the state also has female Customary Court Judge). Zamfara and Sokoto have the oldest serving states CJs as women. Women in the Private Sector There has been an increase in the number of women in the private sector. Women run about 20 per cent of enterprises in the formal sector (World Bank, 2009:92) and they make up 37 per cent of the total work force in the garment industry. The rate of female entrepreneurship in the micro sector is increasing as a result of increased skill acquisition and micro-loans to women. A report on the “2010 Access to Financial Services in 154