Violence

 Eliminating gender-based violence in kogi.

News analysis.
By Dada Ahmed.

Imagine a situation where a husband gives his pregnant wife the beating of her life for failing to prepare food for him on time. 3.The trauma resulting from the merciless beating landed the poor wife in the hospital and at the of her five-day on admission in the hospital,she lost her 7-, month-old pregnancy.
4.As if this is not enough, when she returned to her matrimonial home, the husband threatened to send packing.
Some neighbours, in what they term as shooting trouble, prevailed on her to apologize to her husband, ironically, for disobeying him.

5.How can one explain a scenario where a 15-year-old girl, who is a product of a broken home went to stay with her aunt to find happiness. Her aunty's husband whom she refer to as her "step father"leverage on her plight to to put her in a family way.?
6.Emotion saddened and mind-blowing stories such as these are bound in many societies, mirroring glaring instances of gender-based violence in the society.
7.While many victims of gender-based violence live to tell their story, others are not so lucky as they have passed on, leaving their loved ones and other concerned members of the larger society in perpetual sorrow and bemoaning with no desired solution in sight.

8.Gender-based violence and its heavy brunt, largely on women and girl-child, have been attributed to culture, religion, stereo type and man inhumanity to man among other odd factors.
9.In all this, human right experts lay the blame on the door step of men whom they describe as overwhelmingly the perpetrators of the brazen crime against humanity.
10.Kogi state, being part of the global community experiencing this pervasive crime, especially against women and girl-child, according to reports from non governmental organizations in the state depicts worrisome statistics of such crime.
11. Kalu Samuel, CIHP's Gender Mainstreaming Associate, disclosed that 2,203 cases were reported in Kogi in 2023, quoting the NGBV Data Situation Room and Dashboard for Prevention and Response to GBV in Nigeria to support his claim.

12.Prompted by disturbing development , some human rights groups, lawyers, NGOs, Foundations  as well other well meaning organizations have resolved to pool resources together to fight the menace frontally.
13.This must have prompted APC Women Professional Council, kogi state to join organizations in the crusade  find lasting solution to the menace.
14.APC Professional Women Council, Kogi State Chapter, took the lead on Saturday, December 3,2023 when it organized a media parley obviously to raises against the menace and proffer meaningful solution for its curb or elimination in the state.

15.The media party is part of events marking the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, a key international moment to call for an end to violence against women and girls, globally.

15 aSources from google indicate that the 16 Days Activism for the elimination  of gender-based violence was started by activists at the inauguration of the Women's Global Leadership Institute in 1991.
15 bThe Center for Women's Global Leadership, based at Rutgers University, USA, was founded in 1989 by Charlotte Bunch, the former executive director and an internationally renowned activist for women's human rights.
16.The organisers said the two events provided them ample opportunity  to magnify their voice and clarion call to end gender-based violence in the state.

17.The State Coordinator of APC Professional Women Council, Hajia Rekiya Onaivo Sani, said the organization considered it imperative to join forces for the elimination of gender-based violence because of the danger it posed to the people and the society, largely to women and girl-child.
The World Health Organization, she added, revealed that 35 percent of all gender violence affect women and girl-child globally.
According to Hajia Sani, gender-based violence goes beyond physical assault, adding that occurs in other spheres of human life such as political environment, where some people believe that some people offices are reserved for either men or women.
At the media parley, a gender activist,Mrs. Halima Oiza Sadiq, has called on the kogi state government to ensure a functional law that would eliminate gender-based violence in the state and bring to justice, perpetrators of violence, most especially against women and girl-child.

Mrma Oiza Sadiq.
Mrs.Sadiq, who is the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Chachavivi Women and Girl-Child Development Foundation, Lokoja made the call on Saturday in Lokoja while contributing to the media parley organized by APC Professional Women Council in the state.
The parley has as topic;”Policy Advocacy, a Panacea For The Elimination of Gender-based Violence in Kogi State.”
She also called on the state government to domesticate the the National Policy on Gender-, Based Violence in the state.
Sadiq expressed optimism that such action would curb violence against women and girls to the barest minimum and deter those making life unbearable for such segment of population in the society.
She expressed concern that unless drastic action is taken against perpetrators of gender-based violence against women and the rest members of the society, through synergy between government and other stakeholders, the state would continue to record such negative development.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Hajia Fatima Kabir Buba, in her speech,disclosed that the state government had started the process of domesticating the Ndtional Policy on Gender-Based Violence,assuring that a committee towards that effect would be in place soon.
The commissioner, who was represented by a director in the ministry, Mrs.Josephine Motunrayo Babatunde, however ,called for synergy among critical stakeholders in the course of eliminating gender-based violence in the state.
According to Hajia Buba, the ministry is not resting on its oars, adding that it had put in place various programmes to mitigate violence against women and girl-child and to empower women such as cash grants.

Hajia Rekiya Onaivo Sani.
In her address of welcome,the State Coordinator of APC Women Professional Council, Hajia Rekiya Onaivo Sani, said the organization had been doing a lot in sensitizing the public on the danger of gender-based violence against in the state.
According to her, the organization began 16-day of activism which commenced on November 26,2023 and expected to end December 10,2023.
She said though gender-based violence is not limited to women and girl-child,experience showed that bore the larger brunt of the problem.
“APC Women Progressional Council is not all about politics, we are looking at how to build the capacity of women in terms of them acquiring skills to be able to feature, prominently, and match the competences of their partners.
“This is to ensure that the impression that one position is meant for males and another for females is eradicated.
She cautioned women, particularly mothers to be conscious of the way and manner they treat the young ones or the children in order not to inflict them with violence psychologically and otherwise.
Hajia, Sani, who is also the Managing Director, Kogi State Enterprise Development Agency,KEDA, assured women in the state that, 40 per cent of loan en route through the agency, meant to empower small-scale business owners, would be allocated to them to boost their businesses.
The representative of FIDA in the state, Barr. Lilian Okolo reminded the people that gender-based violence had no ethnicity or any other divisive expressions and stressed the need for functional policy to make its elimination effective in the state.
She said that FIDA had offered legal aid to many women and girls in the state who suffered gender-based violence as part of its effort to eliminate such inhuman practices.
Barr. Okolo called for the building of the capacity of the structures and the provision of an enabling environment for them to effectively execute their job.
Our correspondent reports that all the speakers at the event commended Hajia Sani for organizing the event, adding that her effort and that of the organization would a long way in contributing to the concerted efforts to mitigate gender-based violence in the state.
The representative of Jamat Nasiru Islam, Alhaji Mohammed Wandana, advised Islamic leaders to stop official instances of forceful marriage, stressing it is against Islamic injunction.
” Marriage must contracted with the consent of the two parties involved, by Islamic teaching.
” A lady should not be seen as a weaker sex because that is against the principle of Islam,” he stressed.
Pst. Bola Bala Gbogbo, who represents the Christians at the occasion, called on the people to have a change of mindset about the issue of gender-based violence and contribute towards eliminating the pervasive action and contribute to peaceful relationships and unity of mankind.

The state cultural troupe thrilled the audience at the occasion with rich cultural dances of the state while some youths read poems on gender-based issues and unity of humanity among others.
Many women groups, youths, members of the media, and men among others attended the occasion.

avenue for members of the organization to add voice to the concerted fight to save the weaker sex from man-inflicted violence.
The exercise started between November 25 (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) and 10th December, Human Rights Day.

Gender-based violence, GBV, has been described at different fora as a shadow pandemic with staggering statistics of victims, a menace the world is struggling, tooth and nail, to find lasting solutions towards its elimination.

The global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is a key international moment to call for an end to violence against women and girls.

It runs from 25th November (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) until 10th December, Human Rights Day.

What is the theme of the 16 Days of Activism 2023?

Building on the momentum at the Generation Equality midpoint moment in September 2023, the Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence will mobilize action to amplify the UNiTE campaign's call to UNiTE! Invest to Prevent Violence against Women & Girls.

“To end violence against women, we need to challenge the attitudes that rationalize, normalize, and perpetrate that violence, and deny women's right to safety.

Men are overwhelmingly the perpetrators of gender-based violence. To see violence truly eliminated, the attitudes of both men and women need to change.

The 16 Days campaign focuses on raising awareness of the devastating impact that gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) has on women and children, and the social fabric of our society.

Origin.
The campaign was started by activists at the inauguration of the Women's Global Leadership Institute in 1991.

Originator.
The Center for Women's Global Leadership, based at Rutgers University, was founded in 1989 by Charlotte Bunch, the former executive director and an internationally renowned activist for women's human rights.

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is an academic, health, and research powerhouse—with campuses located in New Brunswick, Newark, and Camden—and a statewide academic health leader.

Gbv in Kogi.

Earlier, Kalu Samuel, CIHP's Gender Mainstreaming Associate, said 2,203 cases were reported in Kogi in 2023 by the NGBV Data Situation Room and Dashboard for Prevention and Response to GBV in Nigeria.2 days ago

The Kogi state government has called for more decisive measures by NGOs, institutions, corporate organizations, and individuals to mitigate gender-based violence (GBV) against women and girls.



To see violence truly eliminated, the attitudes of both men and women need to change.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Fatima Kabir-Buba, made the call during a stakeholders’ engagement to mark the “Orange the World 16 Days Activism against GBV” campaign in the state.

The program, organized by the Centre for Integrated Health Programme (CIHP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs, addressed GBV issues in Kogi.

The commissioner urged the stakeholders to focus on investment, financing, and implementation of different strategies to prevent violence against women and girls.

She said the campaign, which began at the inauguration of the Women Global Leadership Institute in 1991, was used by individuals and organizations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.

“November 25 to December 10 is known as the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign, which provides a time to stir up action to end violence against women and girls around the world.

“It also serves as a means of demonstrating solidarity in eliminating all forms of violence; it is therefore used as the color of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women,” she said.

Ms Kabir-Buba described GBV as a phenomenon that transcends social, economic, and geographic borders and impacts girls, women, men, boys, and gender-nonconforming individuals all over the world.

“The Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), 2018 found that nine percent of women aged 15 to 49 had suffered sexual assault at least once in their lifetime while 31 percent had experienced physical violence.