From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
A non-governmental organisation called Lacey Health Initiative with support from Access Bank have trained 28 young girls in Sabon Gari Local Government Area of Kaduna State as Gender Based Violence (SGBV) advocates and champion.
In Kaduna State, there are laws and policies such as the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law, Child Welfare and Protection law, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) policy among others which are put in place to punish the perpetrator(s) of sexual and GBV and reward the victim(s) or survivor(s) of such violence.
Facilitator and Coordinator of the activity in the State, Barr. Jennifer Agbaji told newsmen at the sideline of the training that it became necessary because GBV was one of the most oppressive forms of gender inequality, posing a fundamental barrier to equal opportunities for women, girls and men’s participation in social, economic, and political spheres of life.
To her, though GBV affects both men and women, women are more vulnerable because violence reflects and reinforces the existing gap in power relations and consequentially gender inequalities.
She noted that “such violence impedes the achievement of a range of development outcomes which preludes women from contributing their quota or even benefitting from development initiatives thereby limiting their choices and proven ability.
“Building the capacity of young girls on GBV issues will enable them to become advocates for the elimination of GBV in their communities and inform others on the options available for survivors and referral pathways”, she said.
She further added the training was aimed at contributing to the United Nations’ agenda of achieving zero GBV and other harmful traditional practices by 2030.
“The training has equipped the young girls with skills towards becoming advocates and champions for ending GBV and other harmful traditional practices in their communities.
“They have been enlightened on GBV and other harmful traditional practices towards identifying triggers of GBV and institutions that empower them.
“For example, the young girls have acquired knowledge on the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law that empowers the campaign to end GBV as well as the legal referral pathway for GBV response in Kaduna State and how to report GBV cases in the community”, she added.
The training of the young girls was a part of activities to mark the 2022 16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence which is an annual international campaign between November 25 to December 10 every year preceding the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.