Violence Against Women and Girls having reached pandemic proportion especially with COVID-19 hit, the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Rivers State is calling for strengthened actions and resources to address the menace.
The association said this in a statement issued in commemoration of this year’s 16 Days Activism Against Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the state as signed by its chairperson and secretary Mrs Susan Serekara-Nwikhana and Dr Ngozi Anosike respectively.
NAWOJ noted that as lockdown measures were implemented to stop the spread of the coronavirus, violence against women, especially domestic violence intensified as school closures and economic strains left women and girls poorer, out of school and out of jobs, making them more vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, forced marriage, and harassment.
The association believes that ending violence against women will require strengthened actions by the government through more investment in women and girls regretting that formal reports of domestic violence have decreased as survivors find it harder to seek help and access support through the regular channels.
It further noted that the 16 days of activism is an expression that gender-based violence though not inevitable, can and must be prevented. Stressing that his prevention starts with believing survivors, adopting comprehensive and inclusive approaches that tackle the root causes, transform harmful social norms, and empower women and girls. With survivor-centred essential services across policing, justice, health, and social sectors, and sufficient financing for the women’s rights agenda.
”While gender-based violence can happen to anyone, anywhere, some women and girls are particularly vulnerable – for instance, young girls and teenage girls who are employed as house helps . Violence against women continues to be an obstacle to achieving equality, development, peace as well as to the fulfillment of women and girls’ human rights.’
This year’s theme is ” Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now”.
