The Executive director of Warien Rose Foundation, Efe Anaughe, has called for more interventions and collaborations between stakeholders in order to stem the menace of violence against the female folk.
Anaughe, who is a lawyer, said the group under its Domestic Violence Anonymous (DVA) initiative has joined
the 16 Days of activism against gender-based violence, an annual international campaign that kicked off on November 25, the international day for the elimination of violence against women, and runs through December 10, human rights day, in order to sadle a new hope.
She said women need to push to advance their cause. She added that the rise of domestic violence and persistent challenge they face has created traumatic experiences for them. Women prefer to stay in abusive marriage to keep their marriage or status.
Anaughe said: “From physical and verbal abuse to rape and even murder, it is evident that the authorities are not doing enough to stem the tide of domestic violence which manifests itself in many forms in Nigeria today. While spousal abuse cuts across both sexes, women are predominantly the victims in our country. Yet abused women rarely report the violence for fear of being stigmatised by the society.
All the major stakeholders need to work towards stemming the menace
“Household violence is one of the most prevalent forms of gender-based violence faced by adolescent girls in humanitarian settings. A growing evidence base demonstrates the extent to which multiple forms of familial violence, including intimate partner violence, violence against children, and sibling violence overlap in the same households.
“However, existing evidence of family support programming that effectively reduces violence against girls by addressing intersecting forms of household violence are limited.”
Anaughe said November 25 marked the beginning of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, which ends on International Human Rights Day, December 10.
“Addressing the grappling issues of sexual and gender-based violence that individuals and communities are faced with, a resultant impact which in most cases is devastating to the good of females,” she said.
Similarly, the assistant director, investigation at the National Human Right Commission, Olayinka Odibe, said anybody faced with GBV should seek help.
She said: “Violence against women and children is a serious public health concern, with costs at multiple levels of society. Although violence is a threat to everyone, women and children are particularly susceptible to victimization because they often have fewer rights or lack appropriate means of protection.
“In some societies, certain types of violence are deemed socially or legally acceptable, thereby contributing further to the risk to women and children.
This issue is not only devastating for survivors of violence and their families, but also entails significant social and economic costs. In some countries, violence against women is estimated to cost up to 3.7% of their GDP – more than double what most governments spend on education.
“Failure to address this issue also entails a significant cost for the future. Numerous studies have shown that children growing up with violence are more likely to become survivors themselves or perpetrators of violence in the future.”
Odibe said about one in three (30%) women globally experience physical and/ or sexual violence, mostly at the hands of an intimate partner.
Such violence starts alarmingly early, almost one in four (24%) adolescent girls aged 15-19 who have had an intimate relationship has experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner.
She added that the state government has zero tolerance for all forms of sexual and gender based violence and urge anybody experiencing any form of GBV to break the silence and report anyone concerned with the challenge. There are helplines that are toll free.
Odibe stated that preventive measures are the most efficient ways of addressing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) issues. “To this end, we embark on several advocacy programmes aimed at reducing SGBV to at least barest minimum. The commission will be leveraging on the global annual 16 days of activism for the elimination of violence against women, to heighten awareness on the issues of gender-based violence in the state through several community engagement programmes.”
She added that the partnership is for advocacy and to provide an opportunity for survivors and third parties to report cases of domestic and sexual violence in the state. “These reported cases are tackled swiftly through the teamwork of ministries, departments and partner agencies, gender-based violence case managers, the police, non-governmental organizations, psychologists, rescue team, social welfare, healthcare workers and the judiciary.
“Health impacts can last a lifetime – violence affects women’s physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health. Promising programmes to prevent violence against women and girls should be initiated to prevent violence against women. Support should equally be available for women and girls affected by violence, including safe access to care, medical and other services.
“One characteristic of gender-based violence is that it knows no social or economic boundaries and it affects women and girls of all socio-economic backgrounds: this issue needs to be addressed in both developing and developed countries.
“Lagos State government through its Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency has different interventions of the state, where victims can access a free legal, psychosocial, rescue and counselling services, access to free medical attention to survivors of domestic and sexual violence at designated government facilities.
“To decrease violence against women and girls requires a community-based, multi-pronged approach, and sustained engagement with multiple stakeholders,” Odibe noted.
SunOnline