As part of its efforts to curtail sexual and gender based violence in the state, Women’s Rights and Health Project (WRAHP) held a sensitization workshop for secondary school students in Alimosho.
Speaking on behalf of the Executive Director, Bose Ironsi, the Centre Assistant, Ireti Resource Centre, Neoma Ezuma explained to Community Bell that the aim of the workshop was to challenge the socio-cultural norms that enable sexual and gender-based violence.
“We know that women are more vulnerable to SGBV even though boys and girls alike face abuse. It is essential to highlight the plight of women in the society and we decided that there was need to catch them young as they say, start from the younger generation to change these social norms that enable sexual and gender based violence. Last year, we conducted series of community town hall meetings to sensitise the adults, so within this period, we decided to bring it down to the children.”
“We are training 400 students all together and the goal is for them to serve as ambassadors within their schools and within their communities. We know that a lot of abuse happen in schools even though they are not amplified. We have seen the statistics, one in five girls is a victim of SGBV and Alimosho has reported the highest rate of gender- based violence. It is our hope that these students will be our ambassadors, cascade what they have learnt and help others because there are students in schools who are facing this abuse, they do not know who to turn to or who to report to. We have also made our counselling centre, Ireti Resource centre open to them in case they need to report cases so that we can intervene.”
Mrs.Abiola Osinfowokan, Assistant Director Ministry of Youth and Social Development, who facilitated at the event also acknowledged the role of children in curtailing the prevalence of SGBV. “Children are involved because they meet one another through play, academic pursuit and social gatherings. Last year, during the lockdown, a lot of atrocities took place in homes; domestic violence and child abuse because of poverty which ought not to be. We also had cases of older people coming to abuse children, the rate is alarming. At the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, we have had to provide shelter for children that are victims of GBV. So we need children to speak up, say no to violence and co-operate with the government to check the cases of sexual and gender based violence.”
Highlighting poverty as one of the leading causes of gender based violence, she implored women to take advantage of the various empowerment programmes instituted by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in the state and enrol in vocational centres so that they can be financially independent.
