Pulse.ng : Violence against women: NGO sensitises 60 men, boys in Kaduna communities

By Sani Idris

An NGO, Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative (EWEI), on Tuesday sensitised 60 men from Kujama community in Chikun and Kasuwan Magani, Kajuru LGA of Kaduna state to support women.

The engagement, which was under the “Together We Can” project, was supported by the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women.

Mrs Juliana Joseph, the Programme Manager of EWEI, said the participants were relatives of women that were displaced by crisis which led to leaving their homes to live elsewhere.

Joseph lamented that the women were facing alot of problems, which called for the NGO to sensitise the men on how to support the women to bounce back to life.

She noted that EWEI discovered that gender issues were playing negative roles on the women, which was why the NGO mobilised the women’s relatives for sensitisation in ways they could help them.

The Programme Manager stressed that gender issues impact negatively in the society, adding that the residents of Kujama and Kasuwan Magani faced more trauma due to the locality’s history of religion and ethnic crisis.

Mrs Rebecca Sako-John, a Trustee with Legal Awareness for Nigerian Women, said sensitising the men and boys was very important because they have a role in addressing violence against men and women.

Sako-John, who is also a Permanent Commissioner at the Kaduna State Peace Commission, added that the men are also effected by gender socialisation and could be practicing some negative social norms and practices that perpetrate violence against women and children.

She therefore said the men needed to know the practices that have negative impact and to see how they could work with other men on how they could eliminate the practices.

“If we don’t have support of the men, we can not make progress in the fight against violence against women because it will just be women talking to themselves.

“Men who are the perpetrators of the violence and those who are the gate keepers of culture and religion are mostly the men. We need to get them on the women side, to agree to it and take steps towards ending it,”she said.

Sako-John said at the end of the event, the men and boys would better appreciate how gender socialisation has impacted on how they are behaving, how it influence violence actions and to appreciate the roles they have to play against it.

She equally said the men and boys would be expected not to keep quite but take action to condemn violence against women, girls and children.

Doing so, she said it would lead to healthier relationships in the society, and women would begin to feel better to work about in their communities.

She urged parents to change the ways they bring their children up, by making sure they understand gender differences and appreciate one another and not stick to the roles they grew up with.

“Gender is dynamic, some of the practices are no longer relevant in our society, they should train children to respect dignity of humans and those who will promote peaceful and less violent societies,”Sako-John said.

Earlier, Mr Uche Brown, EWEI’s Communications Specialist, said the “Together We Can” project is a crucial extension of the successful Our Safe Spaces (OSS) project.

He explained that it focus on aiding women and girl survivors of gender-based violence in the crisis areas of Kaduna State,
specifically in the Kajuru and Chikun Local Government Areas (LGAs).

With its primary objective centred on
providing support and mentorship, Brown said the project draws inspiration from the achievements of beneficiaries in the
OSS project.

“The emphasis is on making a meaningful impact on the lives of survivors. In addition to delivering direct support, advocacy campaigns
engage men and boys within the communities, recognising their potential roles as allies in the fight against violence against women and qirls (VAWG).

“A critical aspect of the project is to raise awareness about Gender-Based Violence (GBV) toll-free helpline and support systems, ensuring survivors have access to necessary assistance within and beyond Kaduna State,”Brown said.

One of the participant, Sani Dauda, a resident of Kasuwan Magani, acknowledged that men have a crucial role in addressing violence against women and children.

Dauda noted that the programme has enlightened him on the negative impacts of gender socialisation and the importance of promoting peaceful and less violent societies.

Another participant at the sideline, Godiya Nuhu, a Woman Leader in Kujama community, expressed gratitude to EWEI for the eye-opening programme.

She also commended EWEI for their efforts in promoting gender equality and encouraged other organisations to support similar initiatives.

She confessed that she had not realised the extent to which gender issues affect women and children in her community.

The participant pledged to take action and condemn violence against women, girls, and children, and to promote healthier relationships her society.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the event, was part of EWEI’s activities in marking the ’16 Days Activism’ against gender-based violence with the years’ theme: ”Towards 30 Years Of The Beijing Declaration And Platform For Action: Unite To End Violence Against Women”.
(NAN)