Don Says Women, Children Are Most Affected by SGBV

Don Says Women, Children Are Most Affected by SGBV

...As Stakeholders Call For Community Sensitization 

Iduozee Efe Paul, Benin 

A Professor of Sociology, Criminology and Gender Studies, in Department of Sociology, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo state, Prof. Agatha Eguaveon, said, women, girls and children are mostly the victims of sexual and gender based violence.

Prof. Eguaveon made the statements in an event organised by Women's Rights and Health Project (WRAHP) with the support from the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) programme presented a two day training for community structures access three local government areas in Edo state.

She said because of their vulnerability as women that the incidence is still much much highee now.

" In my lecture, I was looking at the various forms in which sexual and gender based violence are perpetuated in our society. But now, it is both males and females child because of the vulnerability as women.

" The incidence is still much much higher in women and girls child. It entails child abuse, rape, sexual abuse, such as incest. Father now violate their female children, and they are not allowed to speak out. It includes relations incest and all forms of deviations that are sexually based are prevalence in our society.

" The incidence still very high among the female child. We looked at it as one of the most serious consequences is culturally based. So, it moves from generation to generation. It is exposure and education that make us to realise that it is not this way," she added.

In her remarks, Edo state project coordinator of RoLAC, Mrs. Uche Nwokedi, urged the participants to speak out if they are experiencing any issues of sexual and gender based violence.

She asserted that, SGBV affected everybody added that no religion support gender based violence and said sensitization will help to  reduce the menace.

Stating the essence of the event, the Executive Director of Women's Rights and Health Project (WRAHP), Mrs. Bose Ironsi, said they are here to train some of the representatives they selected from the local government to train others.

She said it is the community that will drive the issue of SGBV to the people in grassroots. " With the scaring data of sexual and gender based violence partly in the various communities. In all strata of life, you will realise that there is need to engage more people to make it every body business if  we are able to deal with the issue.

" Over the years what we have tried to do is to engage the community people, to amplify their voices. Not only to amplify their voices, also for them to able to respond. If something is happening in the community and the community is able to say something is happening here.

" It will give the opportunity for people to get justice. They would be able to respond to the issue. So that is why this training is here to engage various structures in the community. We have the market women association, the religious group, the youths, muslim leaders and others, because these are the people that are very close to the grassroots.

" We also talked about issues of legal representation because if the people know the law, they will be able to demand when they see that something is going against their wishes. But when they aren't aware they will be oppressed. When they are aware they demand for justice and hold all the people that suppose to maintain law and order accountable," Ironsi buttressed.

 Muslim representatives and market leader who spoke, Mrs. Aziku Theresa and Alasan Hawa, thanked the organisers of the event for educating them about the SGBV. 

They said when they get to their communities they will inform other people what they learnt. " This is something that has been happening in various communities. We don't see it as anything, but we don't know how to voice it out. Now, as they teach us we now know how to say it out to various authorities."