From Maurice Okafor, Enugu
As part of activities to mark the 2022 International Women’s day,South Saharan Social Development Organization [SSDO] yesterday tasked community leaders in Enugu state to live up to the challenges of tackling gender based violence[GBV] in their respective communities especially the violence against women, girls and the girl child in the interest of peace and socio economic development.
The community leaders comprising of Traditional rulers, President Generals,Umu Ada and some rural women randomly selected from fifteen rural communities of Umuode,Akpakwume, Ibute-Nze,Adu-Achi,Mkpokolo,Amankpunato,Onuogba,Awha-Imezi,Ihenyi, Afa,Ezi-Nze etc all in Enugu state,were guests at the one day advocacy pogramme,held at Sylvia hotel,Independence layout Enugu.
According to South Saharan Social Development Organization[SSDO],’Gender based violence thrives where there are no strict measures in place to prohibit such activities.we advocate for a world that is equitable and inclusive. A world where Women’s voices matter. A world where gender differences are valued and appreciated. As we commemorate International Women’s Day, 2022,South Saharan Social Development Organization looks to tackle the biggest issues that cause Gender Based Violence[GBV] in the society’.
Buttressing on the theme,’Strengthening Local Institutions Capacity to combat Gender based violence[GBV], the SSDO programme Coordinator, Mrs Blessing Uchendu,stressed the organization has come up with an initiative known as ‘Sister Guardian Initiative’ through which they ginger rural women to live up to the challenges of defending themselves. She lamented that lots of women in the rural areas suffer a lot of perils and are defenseless because they are financially handicapped.
Therefore, the birth of Sister Guardian Initiative, made up of some women in their respective communities, is to add to the voice of the defenseless rural women,at any point in time they are victims of battering, rape, intimidation, denial of right to properties, etc. She disclosed that the association ‘Sister Guardian Initiative’ is already rooted in several communities in Enugu and Anambra states,mediating in the affairs of women.
Speaking on the theme,’Preventing sexual and gender based violence,a Human Rights Volunteer Corps, Mr Larry Oguegbo,said gender based violence are acts that inflicts physical,mental and other forms of threat on a person or group of person. He lamented that the menace of gender based violence is on the increase because the community leaders are not doing enough to curtail the ugly trend. He condemned the idea of communities making by laws which prohibits police arrest of suspected criminals especially gender based related violence, on the bases of community leaders interference and settlement. He described such by laws as promoting gender based violence and maintained the supremacy of the Nigerian Constitution over every by law made by any community leader.
Mr Oguegbo advocated that the best strategy of curtailing gender based violence in the communities is for the community leaders to train the boys to respect women, to apprehend every suspect on related gender based violence issues and hand them over to law enforcement agencies for prosecution. He warned that close relations who committed any related gender based violence must not be shielded from prosecution.
He said that every law made by the community must align with the Nigerian constitution and the state laws. He also cautioned that the communities should consider promoting the rights of women in their by laws.
Mrs Stella Ani, one of the SSDO facilitators, disclosed that research findings proved that one of the major causes of wife battering and some other gender based violence in the home, most of the time is when the man is the sole financier of caring for a family. She advised jobless women to enroll in the loan facility gingered by South Saharan Social Development Organization, by forming cooperatives,which is a pre requisite for it’s assessment.
Some of the community leaders expressed their gratitude to the organization for involving them in the programme, Many of them requested for SSDO officials’ visit to their communities on same advocacy against gender based violence.
