Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria has advised Sokoto State women to come together, in order to end Violence Against Women and Girls in different communities in the state.
The Chairperson of the Non-Governmental Organisation, Hajia Fatima Bello-Gumi, gave the advice during a sensitisation campaign at Kofar Marke and Bazza communities in the Sokoto North Local Government Area.
She said that the group, with support from EU-UN Spotlight Initiative Project, had embarked on a door-to-door sensitisation campaign to enlighten rural women in particular on gender-based violence and other harmful practices.
Bello-Gumi said the objective was to increase participants’ knowledge on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Sexual and GBV, gender equitable norms and other harmful practices.
She said that participants were also being educated on policies and existing laws to tackle the menace of GBV.
She described the incidents of rape and other assaults on women and girls as worrisome.
Bello-Gumi further said that wife battery, sexual harassment, verbal, emotional abuse and other harmful practices were negatively affecting women in society.
According to her, victims and perpetrators have little or no knowledge that it is a crime punishable under the law.
She said that the NGO had intervened in settling a series of matrimonial disputes, family neglect on children and other domestic abuses in communities.
She, therefore, counselled family members to live up to their expectations and to report rape and other GBV cases to security agencies and community leaders in order to expose the perpetrators.
Bello-Gumi described poor understanding, culture of silence and compromise as challenges in tackling the menace.
She said that other participants in the campaign included state Hisba women personnel and members of Muslim women organisations, who were invited in recognition of their roles in society.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that a legal practitioner, Mrs. Fatima Umar, and Hajia Fatima Manga made separate presentations on SGBV, Female Genital Mutilation and Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, in relation to daily living.
(NAN)
