Efforts to end Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, SGBV, continued to receive attention as experts working with the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, WARDC, gathered to discuss ways of addressing harmful norms and practices against women and girls in the country.
This was the main focus of the meeting held in Lagos on Thursday.
WfWI, Ford Foundation collaborates with WARDC
The event was organised by WARDC in collaboration with Women for Women International, WfWI, and the Ford Foundation.
The participants agree that addressing the issues of SGBV requires a multi-sectoral approach, including combating wife battery, child marriage, rape, human trafficking, Female Genital Mutilation, and teenage pregnancy, often triggered by patriarchy, culture, poverty, self-esteem, e.t.c.
During the meeting about experience sharing among non-governmental organisations and civil society organisations working on preventing gender-based violence, SGBV, Mrs. Antonia Onyinye, Social Empowerment Manager at WfWI Nigeria, mentioned that having national-level advocacy through WARDC will help identify additional areas where they can address gender-based issues through their interventions.
According to her, “What can we do differently, especially as it regards the gender-based issues, so that it’s not just having policy. Let those policies be active to the grassroots. Let this not be a policy that is limited to a certain level of people in the society,” she said.
WARDC advocates community-led solutions for SGBV
Also, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, Founder, WARDC reiterated that community-led solutions can help address gender-based violence especially when the people who are involved participate in addressing the problem, and communities where the menace is prevalent own the project currently being implemented.
She however pointed out that there is a link between the community and the national agenda, noting that the end product of the project is: How can the issues that we find at the community level become an issue that would skyrocket to a national advocacy?
The participants gave perspectives to the meeting by sharing their experiences from their engagements in their various communities, baring concerns, gaps and interventions that have worked.
During panel discussions of Women’s Rights Organisations, and Civil Society Organisations, a representative of People With Disability, PWD, Bolaji Shoniwe, who represented the Dwarf Cluster highlighted challenges and achievements with people with special abilities. She was of the view that awareness could assist in solving sex-induced or intimate partner violence.
Yinka Shokunbi of the Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria also highlighted the achievements of the network regarding SGBV. “She explained that the issue of gender-based violence is rampant in some of the states in the country.
She also cited the challenges with the Police just as she acknowledged how helpful the police has been.
“According to her the Police in particular is not stable because they don’t stay long… but there are gender desk.”
