With a view to eliminating gender based violence at the grassroots communities particularly among the rural women, a foremost Christian women organization, Magdala Unity Foundation has taken its sensitization campaign to Olosogbo Community where the organisation engaged women from across four other communities on gender based violence.
Addressing the women at the Apostolic Church, Olope area in Olosogbo community, the State Coordinator for Magdala Unity Foundation, Deaconess Grace Kehinde Ademokoya said the goal was to equip women most especially with the right information as they face a lot of challenges.
According to her, elimination of gender-based violence requires comprehensive and multifaceted approach hence the need to speak to the mind of women to know about harmful gender practises, stereotypes and social norms in order to promote healthy relationships and equality among genders.
Mrs. Ademokoya who said increasing number of social vices such as rape, increased divorce, female genital mutilation, physical and emotional abuses among others gave rise to the campaign further assured the women of access to medical, legal, and psychological support if faced with such vices.
She urged the women to speak out against violence rather than being part of those covering up crimes against women as there were laws against such abuse.
On ways to end the menace, Mrs. Ademokoya explained that more efforts would be geared towards embarking on advocacy visits to stakeholders with supports from the media and as well providing support for survivors in order to encourage victims to speak out and ensuring that women became more familiar with VAPP Laws to protect their rights among others.
She also described paying advocacy visit to the Stakeholders, Public lectures, Going to schools, Using Media , Supporting survivors, Speak out ,VAPP Laws to protect the rights of women and effective Government policy as some of the solutions to the menace
The training also featured a lecture by Mrs. Precious Adaramola who explained several forms of violence including physical violence such as rape, sexual assault, female genital mutilation; emotional and psychological violence, economic violence as well as social and cultural violence.
She noted that gender based violence had become a pandemic thus all hands must be on deck to nip it in the bud.
On some of the ways to help eliminate the trend, Mrs. Adaramola admonished the women to make out time to learn more and educate others and to also be willing to challenge harmful norms and practices in their communities among others.
Part of the trainings included a robust session for group discussion on identified case studies as well as a question and answer session.
Some of the women who spoke at the end of the exercise thanked the organizers for deeming it fit by bringing the campaign to their communities just as they promised to cascade the knowledge and be involved in the drive to eliminate gender based violence in their respective communities