By: Felix Ikpotor
A non-governmental organisation, the Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre has called on the media to join the fight against gender-based violence by creating more awareness so that the authorities can take action.
Director of Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, Mrs Emem Okon made the call during a one-day trainning for journalists in Port Harcourt on gender-based violence and inclusion.
She noted that increased awareness would spur those in authority and those in the localities to take action against gender-based violence and women exclusion.
“The essence of this training is to mobilise the media to report on issues of gender-based violence, to improve and increase understanding of what constitutes gender-based violence,” she stated.
Mrs. Okon noted that reports on sexual violence and rape has encouraged alot of survivors to overcome the stigma to come out to say that they were raped or harassed, stressing that engaging with the media would improve the way the authorities respond to the issues.
“We are expecting that at the end of this training there would be increased reporting of gender-based violence and that media people would reach out to more people that are directly involved in gender-based violence and to let them know what to do when they are affected or see somebody suffering such,” Okon stated.
She urged the media to do more in reaching out to the grassroots who do not have access to information and as such not aware of the menace.
“I don’t think more is being done at the local and community levels to address issues of gender-based violence.
At the national and state levels, there are legislations but how do we work to enforce and implement this existing legislations particularly at the local level and how it is being translated at that level, the local government is the closest to the people so if the people at the state capitals are enlightened and have knowledge of this existing legislations, the people at the community do not even have access to the media, they don’t have access to legal services so how are they coping?
Mrs Okon also called for a change of attitude towards women by the local and community leaders as a lot of their laws and customs impact negatively on the women.
“My interest would be that the local government still has a long way to go to endorse the legislation and begin to implement and enforce.
Also, the community leaders, what has been their roles in addressing this issues because the main cause of gender stereotypes are the social norms, traditions and customs, so there is need for a change in mindset, a change in practices and that means that advocacy should be targeted more at the people that can influence the system at the local level,” she stated.
Also speaking, facilitator of the trainning, Chief Constance Meju said the government should consider women while making policies so as to engender social inclusiveness, noting that most government policies does not have space for women.
“What we have to tell the government is that women need to be built into their policies. Most policies as they are do not have spaces for women.
“The issues around them such as their health, finance, family value issues amongst others need to be addressed.
“What government need to do is that any policy that is to be made, mainstream women into that policy because it affects them and women are 49 percent of the Nigeria population and 33 percent of the voting population. Women have been faithful to Nigeria so Nigeria should payback to women”, Meju stated.
Port Harcourt Spectator reports that journalists from within and outside Rivers State attended the training.
