Leaders of faith and culture from South East Nigeria are billed to meet in Enugu on Thursday, October 31 in the first ever town hall of its kind to find a common approach to tackling the silent menace of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
One hundred and thirty traditional, faith based and cultural leaders are expected to attend the town hall meeting organised by WABMA Media Development Foundation with support from Ford Foundation.
“SGBV is deeply ingrained in our society, and addressing it requires transformative changes in our cultural and faith based practices. We need these leaders to speak more and louder to this issue when it matters.
“We also need to showcase traditional and faith based leaders who are already in the forefront of the fight against gender-based violence and whose personal lives exemplify the needed change,” said Mr. Odoh Diego Okenyodo, Coordinator of the Amplifying the Voices of Leaders of Faith and Culture Project of the WABMA Media Development Foundation.
“The WABMA Media Development Foundation is the charitable arm of the West Africa Broadcast and Media Academy (WABMA), and we strongly believe in engaging strategically with social issues through the media,” said Dr. Ken Ike Okere, Executive Director of the foundation, reaffirming the organisation’s commitment to using the media as a tool for societal transformation.
“Addressing SGBV through the voices of influential leaders of faith and culture, would catalyse meaningful social change; their amplified messages can shift the narrative and inspire action against sexual and gender-based violence,” he added.
The town hall is expected to be a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to combat SGBV in Nigeria as the influential leaders’ voices bring the subject to the forefront of national conversation.
