By Emmanuel Enebeli
EFFURUN/Nigeria: Women have been enjoined to speak out against Gender Based Violence in our society.
This charge was given by the Executive Director, Development Initiative for Community Impact (DICI), Dr (Mrs) Rachael Missan-Ruppee, at a stakeholders dialogue on “amplifying Women Voices Against Gender Based Violence in Delta State, held at Bimos Hotel, Effurun.
She stressed that women should speak out when experiencing violence of any kind, so that perpetrators of such crimes will be dealt with by relevant law enforcement, adding that it is better to leave when violence becomes intensified and live than to keep quiet, stay and die.
The key note speaker, Dr. Andrew Agboro while delivering his speech stated that far too long impunity, silence and stigma have allowed violence against women to escalate to pandemic proportion, disclosing that one in three women worldwide experience Gender Based Violence in our society.
He affirmed that the global social media conversation and survival-activists movement have shown us that when our voices come together, it is possible to challenge the historical imbalances and affect lasting change.
Dr. Agboro noted that this Year’s United Nations theme for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is ” Orange the World: #HearMeToo”, aimed at honouring and further amplifying the voices of abused survivals to end the culture of silencing them, and putting them at the centre of response.
He stated that it is deeply wrong that the vast majority of perpetrators of violence against women and girls face no consequences and only a minority of cases are ever reported to the police, adding that the laws must recognise that sexual harassment is a form of discrimination against women and human rights violation.
Furthermore, Prof. Anthony Akpobofie who also spoke on the issue of gender violence, described it as the physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, and that they are different types of gender based violence ranging from sexual coercion, rape, trafficking, acid throwing, battering, female genital mutilation.
He noted that gender based violence has devastating consequences at social, economic and personal level due to the injuries, psychosocial harm and general loss. He urged parents to train their sons and daughters to know their responsibilities.
Also speaking, the Executive Director, Value Rebirth and Empowerment Initiative, Pst. Edewor Egedegbe charged parents to lay a strong foundation of positive values for their children, stating that a lot of social problems faced in the society are due to value lost, even as he encouraged them to subscribe to having regular family meeting/forum where each member of the family can speak out.
