Groups Urge Stakeholders To Rise Against Women, Children Abuse

By Ayobami Agboola, Osogbo

A Non Governmental Organisation, Community Advancement Initiative for Self Reliance (CAISR), has urged stakeholders to eradicate all forms of violence against women and children in the country.

The national Coordinator CAISR, Mrs Eni Ayeni made the appeal while addressing women at a one day sensitization workshop organized by the CAISR in partnership with Lawyers Alert, an NGO fighting for the right of women in the country.

Speaking on the topic: “Women Suffering Violence: Evidenced and Rights Based Intervention” Mrs Ayeni said collective efforts by government at all levels would help in eliminating violence against women.

She noted that the workshop was organized so as to raise awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence

Mrs Ayeni who bemoaned the rate at which women right have been inimically violated in our society said all hands must be on deck to guild against the act.

According to her, “Violence against women and girls is a form of gender-based violence, which refers to violence rooted in unequal gender norms and power relations.

“This violence occurs in families or other intimate relationships, workplaces, educational institutions and public places with women and girls suffering most. Gender-based violence can profoundly harm women’s and girls’ physical, psychological, and sexual health, as well as bring economic harm. Violence hinders the fulfillment of women’s and girls’ rights, lowers their status in society, and can even cost them their lives.

“Gender-based violence also causes losses in productivity and to the human resources in families, society, employers/enterprises and the state. It consequently increases expenditures/costs to individuals, institutes and the state for medical treatment, care, social service and welfare, administration and judiciary proceedings. Gender-based violence is the result of gender inequality, and it perpetuates and reinforces existing gender inequalities and sex discrimination. Therefore, to build an equal, harmonious and just society, we must eliminate all forms of gender-based violence.

Also speaking, a representative of the Lawyers Alert, Mr Bamidele Jacob expressed their readiness to give necessary support to whosoever might have been cheated, saying their organization was saddled with the responsibility of defending women’s right against being trapped upon.

Jacob also advised women to speak up whenever they were having challenges, saying women should be encouraged to speak up when they witness events of violence.

He said addressing sexual and gender-based violence was a responsibility, and it was no longer a movement for women, but for everyone.

Echoing a similar, the Head Human Right Education and Promotion, Osun office of National Human Right Commission, Mr Tunde Onilari, decried the rate of women right violation in the state, especially gender based violation.

Onilari also attributed culture as one of the contributing factor to women violation in  our society because women are meant to keep to themselves whatever they are going through in their husband’s house in order not to loose their husbands.

He thereby encouraged them to come out and report to the appropriate quarters for prosecution whenever they are violated so that it can serve as a deterrent to others.

“Women feel scared to come out and report their husbands whenever they are cheated because of what the society will say about them”.

“But, it is only when such cases are reported that the violators can be brought to book. So, we encouraged them to come out and report whenever their rights is being violated”, he said.