SPEAK UP!
Adebukola Oso, Funke Adetuberu and Rotimi Animasahun urge young girls.
Spurred by recent happenings in the country, such as the death of Osinachi, Bamisaye who was raped and killed in Lagos, amongst others, the Afriwomen for Entrepreneurship Initiative in partnership with Voice of Professional Women in Nigeria, organised a seminar, to address gender-based violence in the country.
The aim of the program tagged, ‘Gender Based Violence: Abuse, Vulnerability and Way Out’ was to educate young girls, alongside grassroot women, on the preventive and curative measures of gender-based violence (GBV).
In attendance were secondary students and teachers of Methodist Grammar School, Bodija; Anglican Commercial Grammar School, Total Garden; Abadina College, University of Ibadan, Ikolaba High School, students of Afriwomen Adult Literacy Centers, and media personnel.
A lawyer, welfare policy analyst, founder and CEO of Afriwomen, Mrs. Adebukola Oso citing statistics from the national commission of human rights, noted that 1.7 million women and the girl child reported that they were abused in 2021. She also commented on the weekly increase in the reports of women and the girl child abuse in our news.
Adebukola Oso stated that it is important to ask what our men are doing about gender-based violence, because men occupy most positions of leadership. According to her, if change is going to happen, it will start with us.
She said gender based violence does not occur only in romantic relationships, but in situations where there is power dynamic. ‘I want our women to not only take a position or stance from the basis of enlightenment and awareness, but for them to be bold, to seek solutions to their problems’, she added.
Pastor Mrs Funke Adetuberu, founder of Mended Lives Foundation, Inspirational Speaker and Life Coach, urged young women not to be intimidated, vulnerable and subjugate or subject themselves to any form of violence. On the issue of GBV in marriage, she stressed that understanding one’s fiancée’s personality is important. Abusers show signs, she said. She also said that cases of GBV should be taken to appropriate quarters, there are professionals whose duty it is to cater for and counsel GBV victims.
Prof Rotimi Animasahun, a professor of the department of Counselling and Human Development Studies, Behaviour Modifier and Remedial Reformatory Expert said violence starts from when we are young- the joy when a boy is born, and indifference when it is a girl; guns, balls and cars are given to boy children as toys, why are girls not given car toys? Parents would rather send girls on domestic chores, while the boy is urged to take his education seriously, because a woman’s place is in the other room. He also mentioned that women are asked for ‘something in exchange’ when women ask for favours.
He highlighted the effects of gender-based violence as deflated ego, poor self-esteem and self-concept, poor mental and physical health, depression. He urged his audience to encourage awareness, to interrupt sexist, abuse and discriminatory languages, to be content with their present situations and work towards their future, as they pursue financial independence. He also stressed the need for young girls to learn to be assertive, to speak out for themselves
Dr. Akinbola of women’s law clinic, University of Ibadan, emphasized the need for girls and women to apply caution with everyone, be intuitive and most importantly, to SPEAK OUT when violated. She encouraged them to reach out to organisations such as the afriwomen, and the women’s law clinic which offers services such as counselling and alternative dispute resolution.
The Afriwomen will continue to hold programs such as this, to contribute to the alleviation of gender inequality in our society.