The 16 Days of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Campaign commenced today Monday, November 25 and will end on Tuesday, December 10 (Human Rights Day).
PIND participated in a high level media briefing event held at the Hilton hotel Abuja today to flag off the 16 Days of Campaign. The event organized by the UN Women in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and British Council had in attendance, the UN Women Country Representative, Comfort Lamptey, the Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Paullen Tallen, the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed and heads of development agencies in Nigeria, members of the Development Partners Group on Gender, NAPTIP, national and state legislators, state government representatives, civil society organizations, security agencies and the media.
Development agencies who addressed the media during the event decried the crime of Rape and called for multi-stakeholders actions to address rape. The Senate informed the audience that a bill to address Rape will be presented to the National Assembly during the 16 Days. NAPTIP will open a register to document names of perpetrators of Rape and Girl-child trafficking. The media was appreciated and enjoined to give greater attention to issues of Rape. Victims were encouraged to speak out and law enforcement agencies were also asked to be diligent investigating cases of rape.
PIND was one of the development agencies who addressed the media. In its Call to Action, PIND said “Rape is no respecter of age as cases reported had shown that toddlers, girls, teenagers, young, adult and elderly women have been victims. The inter-generational vulnerability to rape is a serious cause for concern. A recent study in the Niger Delta revealed that hard working women fighting the scourge of poverty, whose source of livelihoods is in farm work have abandoned their farms because of rampant cases of rape and murder perpetrated by criminal individuals and gangs, so it is true to say that rape robs women of livelihoods and perpetuate poverty for women . Furthermore, rape thrives in conflict situations as it is used as weapon to defile, violate, oppress, intimidate and humiliate girls and women and unfortunately some do not survive this dastardly act.”
The Foundation assured that “In this moment of commencing the 2019 Violence Against Women and Girls Campaign and throughout the duration of this Campaign, PIND Foundation stands with the global community, multi stakeholders partners in Nigeria, and rape survivors to unequivocally condemn the evil of Rape”. PIND advised stakeholders to “work together to take actions in solidarity with survivors, pull them out from their shell of secrecy, and provide protection for victims and other vulnerable girls and women. Do not cast aspersions on sexual violence survivors. Rather let us in our various ways support them to get justice and healing. Encourage them to rise above self-pity and denial, let them be courageous to share their experiences, and make necessary consultation to be healed of their physical, medical and psychological bruises and become shining light for other hurting women and girls. We call for punitive deterrent actions, and for speedy adjudication of rape cases”.
To further its commitment to ending GBV, PIND has award seed funds to four organizations in Akwa Ibom, Delta, Edo and Rivers state to create broad awareness on Rape and other GBV acts, to encourage survivors of rape to ‘speak out ’ and to facilitate multi-stakeholders actions in communities and states against Rape and other cases of violence against women and girls. The organizations are:
- Dynamic Youth Development Organization, Akwa Ibom State
- Global Women for Quality and Sustainable Development, Delta State
- Justice Development and Peace Commission, Edo State
- Medical Women Association of Nigeria Rivers State
Rape robs women of livelihoods and perpetuate poverty for women, let’s us take actions to end RAPE Now
