Group urges Men, Boys to join fight against Gender-based Violence
By:Edirin Robinson
A Group under the auspices of MenEngageNigeria has harped on the need for men and boys to join the fight to end Gender-based Violence (GBV) and other forms of violence in Nigeria.
The Deputy Chairperson of the Organization, Uche Brown Egbe, disclosed this during a campaign tagged Orange the Men and Boys, an activity to commemorate 16 Days of Activism against GBV in Kaduna today.
According to him, the issues surrounding the prevalence of violence against women and girls in present-day society call for the support of men, boys, and Community and religious leaders to advocate for women’s empowerment.
He opined that the main reason why violence prevails is because the victims are forced to keep silent while the perpetrators go scot-free.
However, the Deputy Chairperson stressed that his Organization, in collaboration with Legal Awareness for Nigerian Women and the Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative (EWEI) is committed to amplifying voices against GBV.
“We are marking the 2024 16 days of Activism with the Orange the Men and Boys campaign.
“At the time we find ourselves, it is critical as men and boys, for us to come out with our commitment, our energy to say no to all forms of violence.
“That is why the MenEngageNigeria, in collaboration with Legal Awareness for Nigerian Women, and Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative, we are coming together with other Stakeholders to join our voices to, say, end gender-based violence and different forms of discrimination against women and girls.
Mr Brown added that one of the main activities of the organization is to create awareness of GBV by sensitizing men and women, girls and boys, through seminars and other programs.
“One of our activities is raising awareness both online and offline. We have key Stakeholders that we assemble like religious and Community Leaders, Men and boys.
“We have had different seminars with them on different projects where we talked about the prevalence of GBV and how they can come in as collaborators to see that this form of violation is ended.”
Because of this, the Group called on Governments at all levels to ensure the full implementation of Human Rights Laws that will protect citizens and restrict the perpetration of violence in communities.
“Our call to the Government is that they should ensure that most of the laws on the ground, like the violence prohibition law, we want to call for its full implementation.
“We want to ensure that the justice system is fully equipped with the right expertise so that they can ensure that the survivors of GBV get access to justice.
“Then Our call to all the men and boys out there is that they should ensure they serve as advocates in ending these forms of violence.
“To all the Community Leaders, we shouldn’t shy away from the truth because violence to one is violence to all. There is no space for violence in our communities.
“We are saying no to every form of violence, no to GBV, no to rape, no to female genital mutilation, no to discrimination, no to abuse, no to intimate partner rape and we will continue to say no until it is brought to an end,” He stressed.
In a separate interview with the Programs Officer of Finance and Supply, EWEI, Antonia Akojie, attributed the prevalence of violence to ignorance of people in various communities, hence the need for continuous sensitization.
She lamented that while some have accepted and come to terms with respecting the Rights of others, especially women and girls, others still believe that some acts of violence are permissible, especially in some cultural settings
She, however, assured that her Organization will continue to raise its voice against GBV and take active measures that will bring an end to violence.
“We are here to play our part in talking to men and women and sensitizing the Community about violence against women and girls.
“We are trying to make people understand that the crime perpetrated against the girl child and women, especially the non-education of the girl child, is a crime against humanity.
“Some have accepted and joined the fight while others are yet to accept, but we will continue to play our part; we will continue to advocate and speak out against all forms of violence.”
Similarly, the Executive Director of Legal Awareness for Nigerian Women, Hanatu Ahuwan, said the collaboration was a window of opportunity to call for men’s and boy’s support in ending violence.
She noted that although women and children suffer more cases of violence, it is very necessary to involve men in the campaign to influence others to move for women’s empowerment.
In her opinion, “That is why it is good to have the men and boys on board so that they know how to protect their women, their sisters, their wives, and their mothers.
“One of the things we do is to fight against sexual and gender-based violence, and it is part of what is expected from us to collaborate with other organizations for advocacy.
“This was a window of opportunity for us to collaborate with other Organizations and sensitize the community, calling for them to bring an end to Gender-based violence.
“Even though women face Gender Based Violence more, we have to involve everybody in the fight against all forms of violence in our society.
“So, we are not just focused on women but also the men and the boys to get them involved.
“We need to get those who will understand what needs to be done and also talk to other men and boys to join this fight against violence,” She said.
