From Obinna Odogwu, Awka
Gender Perspective and Social Development Centre (GPSDC) has trained and deployed 105 local mobilisers to some communities in Anambra State to conduct voter sensitization and raise awareness on what constitutes Violence Against Women in Politics (VAWIP).
GPSDC said that the mobilizers would be working in collaboration with the Community Mobilization Officers (COMOS) of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to ensure that women would play actively in the November 6 governorship poll.
Media Officer of GPSDC, Emmanuel Ubajekwe, disclosed this during a media roundtable on Stop Violence Against Women in Politics (Stop-VAWIP) campaign held in Awka, the state capital.
He said that the campaign was targeted at encouraging women and youth to participate in the forthcoming election, and also to link survivors of gender-based electoral violence to their services across all LGAs in order to mitigate electoral violence in the state.
“Although women constitute a good percentage of the registered voters in Anambra State, electoral violence remains a major threat to their participation in the November 6 polls.
“Ahead of the elections in Anambra, GPSDC trained and deployed 105 local mobilizers who are working in collaboration with the Community Mobilization Officers (COMOS) of National Orientation Agency (NOA).
“Together, they are conducting voter sensitization to raise awareness on what constitutes VAWIP, encouraging women and youth participation in the election, and also linking survivors of gender-based electoral violence to services across all LGAs in order to mitigate electoral violence in the state.
“These efforts will rather help to increase the participation of women in the electoral process”, he said.
Ubajekwe said that from the organization’s preliminary findings, there were fears among voters due to pre-election violence experienced in some parts of the state during political party campaigns.
“Women expressed their concerns that adequate measures were not in place for the protection of the womenfolk during the election as there was no visible rescue mission on the part of security agencies in volatile places. This was witnessed in pre-election violence.
“The violence mostly occurs in densely populated areas and casualties recorded spread across men, women, and youths.
“The vast number of registered women voters interviewed stated categorically that they may not participate in the electoral process due to the cases of violence witnessed, heard, or viewed in the media”, he said.