ACVPN PARTNERS WITH DOHS PODCAST TO TAKE THE FIGHT AGAINST S#XUAL, AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TO LAGOS COMMUNITY
The Advocates for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network (ACVPN) in partnership with the ‘Document Our History Podcast,’ (DOHS) will on the 27th of August 2022, carry out a sensitisation programme in the Abule-Odu community, Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The programme became imperative following escalating cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) reports in the Abule-Odu community.
In 2020, ACVPN attended to 216 SGBV cases, with 70% of these cases emanating from Alimosho LGA.
The local government has a high number of sexual and physical abuse cases. It also has a high number of sodomy and child neglect cases.
It was, however, discovered that most of these victims were unable to access help because of several reasons, including ignorance about their fundamental human rights. Also, there is the problem of supposed community gatekeepers, who become enablers of abuse, undermining the place of arrest, prosecution, and conviction.
DOHS host is domiciled within the community and has revealed how a victim of SGBV lost her life in the community because a safe shelter was not provided for her.
The escalating cases in the community further inform the decision of the DOHS to partner with ACVPN to employ a grassroots strategy in curbing SGBV by carrying out the sensitisation and reorientation campaign against SGBV in the community.
The sensitisation programme is key to the sustainable human development, economic growth, peace, and security of Lagos State, and Nigeria as a whole.
The need for mass enlightenment is to make the community understand what constitutes domestic and SGBV cases. There is a need for continued advocacy and for legal action against perpetrators of SGBV.
To this end, ACVPN has designed a programme that will:
*Educate the next generation about what to do if they encounter abuse of any kind.
*Teach citizens how to become advocates for ending SGBV themselves.
*Create a safe space for victims to report and share their stories.
*Offer basic health checks as well as HIV testing and counselling for residents by People Awareness on Health Foundation in Nigeria (PAHFIN), another organisation affiliated with ACVPN.
*Facilitate placement of women and girls who need to be rescued and sheltered in government-approved facilities.
The event is billed to be attended by health educators, government officials with expertise on the subject matter, law enforcement agencies, and a coalition of nongovernmental organisations that constitutes ACVPN.
The chief operating officer of ACVPN, Mr Ebenezer Omejalile, who is enthusiastic about the forthcoming programme, enthused: “The sensitisation programme envisions that many women, children and other victims will be liberated from potential abuse in the Abule Odu community as we build a culture of, ‘See something, Say something, Do something.’ In effect, shattering stereotypes about victims shaming and stigmatisation, and instead, shaming the abuser. Therefore, the theme, ‘Speak Up Against Sexual and Gender-based Violence,’ is apt.”
E-SIGH: Mr. Ebenezer Omejalile
