Community Empowerment and Development Initiative (CEDI)

Community Empowerment and Development Initiative CEDI is working to ensure the rights of women are protected through series of human rights training and capacity building initiatives.

 

The activities implemented by CEDI to commemorate the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, with support from PIND, were geared towards increasing the consciousness of young boys and girls towards peace building. Also, state and non-state actors within Asaba and Warri in Delta State were trained on early warning, prevention and reporting mechanism for the prevention of violence against women and girls (VAWG) and conflict in Delta State.

 

CEDI facilitated the following activities to commemorate the 16 days of activism.

 

Raising Peace Actors from Secondary Schools

On November 30, 2017, CEDI set out to raise 30 peace actors from 10 secondary schools in Delta State by training them on peacebuilding and conflict prevention. The objective was to promote a culture of peace in the young adults by presenting them with better options away from conflict. To get the students involved, CEDI used storytelling techniques to explain how the minds of young people are molded towards conflict and conversely, why training on peacebuilding can correct that anomaly.

After the training, 27 students took up the task of promoting peace in their communities and schools and 15 councilors were selected to monitor and work with the students.

 

Going further, peace clubs were set up in 8 secondary schools in Delta State. They are Yonwuren College, Ugbuwangue Secondary School, Dore Numa College, Essi College 2, City Child Foundation School, College of Commerce, Dom Domingo College and Nana College.

 

CEDI had previously been carrying out peacebuilding activities in the schools mentioned above but hadn’t formed a peace club. With the setup of the club, students will hold meetings once every month to discuss areas of peace sustenance and conflict prevention in their homes, communities and in the school.

 

While the meeting are designed to build the capacity of the students, CEDI will also solicit for more funding for joint activity for school peace club members. The activity would hope to be an avenue for information and experience sharing, learning and success stories which can be translated into documentaries for new members of the peace clubs.

 

Training Stakeholders on Early Warning System

CEDI went further to train 84 men, women on early warning system on December 5, 2017 to empower women and girls with the knowledge of human rights education and legal framework for the prevention of violence against women and girls in Delta State. Of the 84 people who attended, representatives from the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social development, Medical Women Association, Women Journalists, the office of the Secretary to the Delta State Government, National Council for Women Society, Delta State Youth Council, Gender based non-profit organizations, Local Government Women development officer attended the event to discuss ways to mitigate violence against women and girls.

 

CEDI presented a paper on ‘Understanding Violence against Women and The Girl (VAWG) As a Human Rights Violation’ where the types of violent acts that can be perpetrated against women and girls; acts like domestic violence and abuse, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, “honor” based violence, prostitution and trafficking, sexual violence, stalking, faith-based abuse etc. CEDI went further to tell participants of warning signs of these types of abuses and steps to take when these signs are noticed. Even more was the emphasis on how to deal with victims of such abuse and knowledge of organizations and declaration that promotes the rights of women globally; organizations such as the Gender Sensitive Legislation (as  a legal tool and mechanism  to  end VAWG), National Action Plans, the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security and reasons why it should be domesticated in Nigeria, the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Optional Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa and The National Gender Policy.

 

Another presentation made by CEDI was on Gender Inclusion in Early Warning and Early Response (EWER) system, with emphasis placed  on the Conflict Context, The Cycle of Violence, Security Overview of the Niger Delta, Definition of Early Warning and Early Response, Gender and Early Warning and Response, Gender Inclusion in Early Warning Systems (EWS), Gender Analysis, Gender Identities and Roles in Conflict, Women in Conflict Situation, Relevant International Legal Framework, The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Early Warning Systems and People Centered Early Warning and Early Response Mechanism. Issues of Best practices in managing survivors of VAWGs, the limitations of existing national laws in addressing VAWGs and the theory of change on tackling violence against women and girls were discussed by participants.

 

As part of the outcomes from this engagement, a reporting platform was built between community platforms and relevant state institutions for the prevention of VAWGs and other such violent incidents. A referral directory was also developed for use by peace actors in the state.