BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
If government, civil society organisations and law enforcement agencies could synergize, Gender Based Violence would be eliminated in no time.
This was the view of stakeholders at this year’s 16 Days of Activism programme organised by a Non-Governmental Organisation, the Excellent Community Education Welfare scheme.
ECEW also organised awareness programme for young girls, youth leaders, welfare officers and other stakeholders against GBV, what they can do to protect themselves and how they can report gender based violence at Ilesa Business School, Ilesa, Osun State as part of activities marking the annual event.
Specifically, the organisation called on law enforcement agencies in Osun to put in synergised efforts towards ensuring elimination of the unlawful act. It said the government should be implementing laws for perpetrators of gender based violence.
16 Days of Activism is an annual campaign for people to come together and find ways to fight against gender based violence. This campaign is commemorated in over 187 countries with over 6,000 organisations working together in their different ways to raise awareness on GBV and to come up with strategies that can eliminate gender based violence.
It’s an international awareness that starts November 25 to December 10 every year. Different organisations come up with varying activities within the period to raise awareness about elimination of GBV and how stakeholders could collaborate to make the society safe for all.
Speaking on the theme of the annual commemoration, “Unite to End All Sorts of Gender Based Violence”, ECEW Senior Associate, Salam Ibrahim explained that gender based violence is not limited to female but also to male and as such, any victim should speak out unashamedly, adding that the government should take action to curb the menace.
She said, “we gather to raise awareness against gender based violence, we brought youth leaders from different parts of Ilesa, we also brought people that work in the area of gender based violence, as a group and as a team. From the government what we are hoping to see is a more synergised effort towards ending gender based violence in Osun. We are calling the Nigeria police, legal aid counsel; civil defense so that people with gender based violence will get justice”
She therefore urged any victim of rape to report so that Post Exposure Prophylaxis, a drug to prevent Human Immune Virus, HIV can be used in case the perpetrator is an HIV patient.
Also, in her remarks, Olufunmi Olajide, the Executive Director of Better Life Africa Development, noted that they are urging the public members to fight against gender based violence in Ijesaland.
“So many people are experiencing violence that they cannot even share with people; the people we invited are people that can go back to their community. The parents should train their children well, so they need to have the training. That’s why we are reaching out to those that are in the grassroots, those in the rural areas, because they are the ones mostly affected.
“As women are suffering from violence, men are also suffering from violence, it is not a one-sided thing, most of the time women don’t talk and the government should ensure there’s implementation of law.”
Among the youth leaders in the event, Omobola Akinjoyegbe from Ijesa Youth Forum, Women Affairs Director and Social Development and Oluwatoyin Adebayo, jointly noted that the people should speak against gender based violence, appreciating the organisers for the mind shifting program.
Some of the participants at the event that came from different schools lauded the organisers for the event, and promised to fight against violence in their community.
A 13-year-old student from St. Michael Girls School Ilesa, Oluwole Heritage Jesudarasimi, noted that the training has encouraged her to confront and fight against any gender based violence she encounters.
She said, “I come from an average home where my dad is angry, he will beat my mum and I pity her and when my mummy starts crying like this, I will join her. Since the beginning of this year, I have decided to talk to my mum and talk sense into my father. It’s a form of violence and I have learnt that I will stand up for her next time. This training is educating, I learnt that both genders should be treated equally.”
Also, a student of Ilesa Grammar School, Farinto Stephen, said, “This is the kind of training the society needs the most, if this training keeps occurring, it can reduce the rate at which people are being abused in this country.”
For Fagbohungbe Blessing, “I learnt that when women are violated, they should speak out and not have an inferiority complex. We can organize a club and enlighten them on the dangers of violation against women and girls and the emotional defect it can cause to them.”
