Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan
Stakeholders have stressed the need for stronger collaboration among the government at all levels, faith leaders, and traditional institutions to combat the menace of Gender-based Violence (GBV) in the country, and seek justice for victims.
The call was made at a GBV Project Leadership Dialogue session organised by HACEY and WACOL with the theme: ‘Empowering Christian Women Leaders of Culture for Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria, through the Strengthening of Grassroots Organisations’.
The forum brought together Christian leaders, cultural leaders, and other stakeholders to reflect on the role of faith, culture, and leadership in shaping responses to GBV, share emerging lessons and realities from project implementation, strengthen collaboration between faith leaders, cultural leaders, and government institutions, secure leadership commitments to promote dignity, justice, and protection for women and girls and identify practical leadership actions to reinforce grassroots prevention and response efforts.
The Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Oyo State chapter, Rev. Elisha Ogundiya, who urged Christians in the country to imbibe the fear of God in order to stop GBV, said all stakeholders have a duty to take practical steps to protect the vulnerable population, especially women and girls.
According to him, society will be better off through collective efforts in tackling the menace of GBV, maintaining that faith leaders need to live up to their roles as custodians of faith in safeguarding the rights of women and girls.
He said: “There is no doubt that the menace of GBV is prevalent because people are not behaving like Jesus Christ. However, through collective action, it can be reduced considerably if not totally eradicated.”
The Oyo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mrs. Toyin Balogun, in her remarks, while lauding HACEY and WACOL for convening the dialogue, noted that effective response to GBV requires collective leadership, insisting that it cannot be confined to one sector as it affects education when survivors drop out of school, the economy when livelihoods are disrupted, and security when homes become unsafe.
Balogun, who was represented by Mrs. Olafunmilayo Akinpelu, an assistant director in the ministry, disclosed that to tackle the menace, the state government continues to strengthen systems through functional GBV desks in police divisions, capacity building for frontline responders, enforcement of relevant laws, economic empowerment initiatives for survivors, integration of GBV screening into healthcare services, and establishment of response structures across all local government areas.
According to her, “Addressing gender-based violence requires collective action— government, civil society, faith leaders, and communities all have critical roles to play. Let us therefore move from silence to safety, from awareness to action, and from commitment to measurable change.”
The Executive Director of HACEY, Rhoda Robbinson, on her part, lamented that more women are suffering from GBV, stating that the organisation is out to work with religious and cultural leaders, and the government to create action to end GBV.
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