Gender Based Violence has increased through times over the last years and this time, the Federal Government has been forced to take a bold step to tackle the situation also to employ new strategy launching survivor centered project approach.
As occasions to end the gender based violence in Nigeria continues to gaining more attention than expected, as the Federal Government is showing more commitment to fight it.
It has along with some other partnering agencies launches to safe momentum countries and Global Leadership.
The initiative involves survivor centered project approach to responding the gender based violence in Nigeria. In a statement given by Mrs Choima Oduenyi:
“We will be supporting policies and strategies that will help us address issues around intimate partner violence, sexual violence, child abuse and forced marriage.”
The Nigeria Project Director, USAID/MOMENTUM Country and Global Leader also said that irrespective of your relationships with neighbors, you should sometimes take time to find out what is going on around you as a person.
Kathleen Fitzgibbon, The CHARGE D’AFFAIRS, U.S Embassy In Nigeria says that:
“Isolation during Lockdowns and restrictions have resulted in reduced access to information, cyber social support, legal support and disruption in health services including inadequate supplies of critical health commodities.”
The Federal Government is also through the Ministries of Women Affairs hoping to synergize with agencies’ and Nigeria citizens to stamp out gender based violence.
A statement recorded during the program given by one of the FG/USAID partners, A Representative of Vice President, Sadiat Umar Farooq said that:
“the initiative aims at increasing advocacy momentum on ending gender violence. We are more than ever convinced that gender based violence is driven by structure, economic inequalities and unequal power relations that render women subordinate to men due to limited access to educations and all.”
She added that: “too much of this issues of violence have a link with poverty; because if women are financially empowered, educated, I think they will rise against anybody raising hands on them. So, Ministry, we are ready to partner with every agencies available to help us eradicate this challenge.”
The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen aslo added:
“this movement is aimed at ensuring effective coordination of responses to cases of sexual and gender based violence in Nigeria. The response team brings together all relevant line ministries, departments and agencies including the Federal Ministry of Health, Justice, Education and the Nigeria Police.”
And such initiatives are very necessary in Nigeria, Now more than ever, with the steady increase in cases of Gender Violence. The Ministry of Women Affairs is worried that the recorded cases have increased over the years which only underscores the fact all agencies have to work together in order to eradicate the menace.
Domestication of the verb act by all states in Nigeria and sponging section 55 of the penal code that allows a man beat a woman and ensuring justice for all survivors the would be a good starting point.
