Women’s rights advancement and protection alternative (WRAPA) have worried about the suffering of the girl child facing all sorts of societal ills including the socioeconomic structured to disfavor the women folks.
Partners and interested individuals who have represented various organisations in an interactive workshop in Yola organized by WRAPA revealed that human right watch had on a researched report said 7,349 cases of Gender based violence (GBV) is reported in Adamawa.
Bibiana Adams, the state project officer on WRAPA EU-UN-SI project who was the trainees trainers during the one day workshop aimed at training partners who will in turn go back to their respective communities in enlighten girl child on the dangers of earlier marriage, sexual education and dangers of drugs abused.
Mrs Adams had during the training supported by Spotlight initiative, EU Women worried that 4,281 (58, 25%) of reported incidence of GBV that the relationship with perpetrator was non-intimate.
The training which according to Mrs Adams was focused on the elimination of violence against women and girls and training the trainers in Adamawa on the use of social accountability toolkit to demand accountability on ending violence against women and girls (EVAWG) from relevant state and non-state actors.
She also said that the trainers are to be equipped with the knowledge of negotiating and strengthening Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Protection for women’s rights in FCT, Adamawa and sokoto States.
“We are here to train you on how to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls by 2030 and to Promote gender social accountability for women’s rights advocates in Nigeria.” Adams said
She further said a report by Afrometer .org revealed that more than 10,000 women suffer sexual and gender based violence daily in Nigeria, and Sexual and physical violence accounts for 72, 3% of violence reported spotlight initiative states.
She said it is a call for concern that 27% of Nigeria women between the ages of 15 and 49 were victims of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as of 2012. And 78% of Nigerian women marry below 18, with the country having the highest rates in Africa as reported by human rights watch (2022).
“Of Nigeria women in extreme poverty increased from 34, 698 in 2016 to 43,7181 in 2022 is 70%.” She lamented
While displaying historical emergence of gendered social accountability in Nigeria by African and Nigeria women showed EVAWG is possible, Bibiana told them how popular pan African nationalist and women activists, Mrs Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, Magret Ekpo, Gambo Sawaba, Makeba (Mama Africa) stood fought Violence against women in Nigeria (WAWG).
Bibiana concluded that civil organisations and Women Right organizations (WROS/CSOs) have over years clamored for accountability from state and non-state actors. But however said most do not know the tools to use in engaging for accountability. Hence the need for a harmonized tool to effectively engage with state and non-state actors on demanding accountability.
“The social accountability toolkit is a toolkit that increases citizens’ capacity to hold the state and service providers responsible and make them responsive to the requirements of citizens and beneficiaries. It is intended for coordinated involvement by WROs/CSOs.
“The social accountability toolkit will improve Ten Pillar Partners’ capacity to utilize it to track and involve stakeholders in ending all forms of violence against women and girls. Towards sustainability of the spotlight Initiative project the toolkit will serve as a reference point for the Ten Pillar Partners to continue to engage in advocacy, dialogue with relevant government officials to address EVAWG and enhance program impact.
“The target groups are CSOs, WROs, MDAs, Traditional/Religious Leaders and relevant state and non-state actors.” Bibiana stated
The participants shared instances how their respective organizations have used social accountability mechanism to address issues GBV.
One of the participants, Mrs Farah James representing the Association of Women living with HIV and aids in Nigeria (ASHWAN), one of the Ten Pillar partners on WRAPA EU-UN-SI phase 2.
