By Afolashade Azeez
Center for Communication and Social Impact (CCSI) in collaboration with Spotlight Intiative organized a workshop to advocate against gender-based violence, female genital mutilation, teenage pregnancy and child marriage.
The two-day workshop which was held in Abuja was in readiness to rolling out the strategy to putting an end to the harmful traditional practices and social ills during the 16 days of activism.
The honourable minister, Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Dame Tallen, represented by the Head, Gender-Based Violence Data Management Branch, Abia, Udeme Nsikak stated:
“The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs looks forward to collaborate and work with critical stakeholders and other spirited organisations on the implementation of the strategy which is intended to be a broad framework encompassing all forms of gender based violence across the country.”
Mrs Udeme Nsikak revealed that some measures have been put in place to end the harmful traditional practices and the data of the perpetrators can be retrieved online.
She added: “Nigerians can access the national sex offender register which has recorded only 14 success out of the over 3000 cases the government has in its data bank in all stages of prosecution.”
Chinyere Eyoh, from SOAR Initiative also posited that the case of gender based violence should be treated as a case against the state and not the individual.
In a report made available during the event it was disclosed that 35% of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimacy partner violence or non partner sexual violence, 7% of women have been sexually assaulted by someone other than a partner while, 38% of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner and 200m women have experienced female genital mutilation/cutting.
It was gathered that the 16 days of activism tagged: “Orange the world: End violence against women now!” will be held from November 25 – December 10, 2021.
The training which had a panel coordinated by the representatives of the Ministry and Civil Society Organisation encouraged Nigerians to respect the right of the women to choices.
Members of the Panelist include: Head of Gender based violence data management, Abia, Udeme Nsikak; Ministry of Women Affairs, Chinyere Eyoh of the Sexual Offences Awareness & Response (SOAR); Spotlight Initiative and a broadcaster, Dorcas Atinuke Gbija.
The panelists encouraged participants at the training to do away with social norms in support of gender based violence and harmful practices and approach the practices of gender based violence with a new strategy and re-orientation based on scientific measures adopted to eliminate the trend by 2030.
