Gender-based violence has remained on the frontline of socio-cultural
discourse over the past decades.
While analysts and social crusaders believe that a greater number of
reported cases of gender-based prevalence affect women and the girl
child, the campaigns to bring an end to this social scourge remain one
of the challenges facing humanity today.
Correspondent, Daniel Ezeigwe, in this report, assessed the views of
some speakers at the just-held 2020 Mothers’ Summit.
The event was organized by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Children
and Women Affairs in collaboration with the Caring Family Enhancement
Initiative, CAFE, the non-governmental organization of wife of the
Governor of Anambra State, Dr Mrs Ebelechukwu Obiano.
Gender-Based Violence, GBV, or Violence against Women and Girls, VAWG,
is a global pandemic that affects one in three women in their
lifetime.
Available data released by the World Bank in September 2019 revealed
that thirty-five percent of women worldwide have experienced either
physical and sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual
violence.
While globally, seven percent of women have been sexually assaulted by
someone other than a partner.
The data also revealed that two hundred million women have experienced
female genital mutilation globally.
These staggering numbers only portray the social difficulties faced by
the women folk in a predominantly men’s society where their existence
has remained threatened by patriarchy and social stigma.
Lending his voice on how the occasion should help correct these social
anomalies, the Managing Director of Awka Capital Territory Development
Authority, ACTDA, Venerable Amaechi Okwuosa believes that families,
churches, schools and other socio-religious bodies must create proper
awareness and sensitize the male gender to respect the female gender.
On his part, the Transition Committee Chairman Dunukofia Local
Government Area, Engineer Emeka Okonkwo thinks that Governor Obiano
administration has done a great job in empowering women through job
creation and social recognition, thereby giving them an independent
voice over their affairs.
In their separate remarks, the Transition Committee chairman for
Aguata Local Government Area, Dr Eche Ezeibe and his Awka South
counterpart, Mr Leo Nwuba, said it is important that the cultural
values which abhor gender violence must be projected while
legislations that protect women must be made to give proper backing
and support to the fight to protect women.
The Special Adviser to Governor Obiano on Special Duties, Mrs Ify
Obinabo, also called for a joint action to ending the social problem
observing that responsibility must be backed by genuine interest and
stiffer sanctions for offenders.
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