A Sokoto-based women’s organisation, ‘100-Women Group’, has begun a house-to-house sensitisation to curb the recurrence of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and other harmful practices in the state.
Hajia Fatima Umar, the group’s Coordinator, led the sensitisation at Magajin Gari in Sokoto North Local Government Area on Wednesday.
Umar said the group considered educating women and girls on the effects of rape on psychology and social well-being of girl-child.
She emphasised need for people to understand the implications of GBV, Female Genital Mutilation and Violence Against Persons Prohibition Laws.
Umar described poor understanding, silence culture and compromise as challenges in tackling menace of rape, assault and exploitation of females.
She educated the gathering on categories of GBVs, prevalence, consequences, policies and laws.
She also spoke on modalities to report such incidents and referral pathways.
The coordinator cautioned people against hiding incidents and urged them to expose perpetrators in the communities.
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She also urged women to stand up to speak against all forms of GBVs in their respective environments.
Similarly, the deputy coordinator of the group, Fatima Larai-Tahir, described poor attention by security agents on investigating reported cases.
Larai-Tahir frown at surdid procedure in diligent prosecution and securing penalties for perpetrators as serious hitches.
She added that compromise from survivors’ relatives and intemperance in compounding the reported cases also remain major challenges.
According to her, the group had intervened in settling series of matrimonial disputes, family neglect of children and other domestic abuses in the communities.
“Much had been achieved in ensuring families live up to their expectations by reporting rape and other GBV cases with support of donor agencies through the UN-EU Spotlight Initiative Project,” Larai-Tahir.
She urged people, especially husbands and custodians of families to promote the best ways of addressing gender equitable norms and the best ways to handle GBV cases.
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