POWA President pledges to partner rights groups to end GBV

By : Guardian Editor

Date: 22 December 2023 7:03am WAT

According to the 2008/2009 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS), an estimated 39.7 percent of girls and women in the larger Meru community had undergone FGM. However, the practice is widespread in areas of Tharaka Nithi. To address this, Plan has been implementing the âBuilding Skills for Girls for Lifeâ projectâ in Tharaka for the last three years with a focus on education. The aim of the project is to empower girls to make better informed decisions and reach out to boys and men to influence their attitudes and beliefs. To further step up the fight against FGM, Plan is joining efforts with the cultural elders in the Tharaka Nithi community to seek their support in changing attitudes toward FGM and other forms of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) against girls and women. The elders have strongly condemned the practice, calling for FGM studies to be included in the school syllabus to educate school children about the dangers of the practice.

In a move to curb Gender-Based Violence (GBV) nationwide, the National President of Police Officers Wives’ Association (POWA) and wife of the Inspector-General of Police, Elizabeth Egbetokun, has expressed her willingness to collaborate with rights groups to fight the menace.

The POWA President made the pledge after receiving in audience the Commandant-General, EndingGBV, Martins Abhulimhen and the Chief Executive Officer of Nzube Ikeji Foundation, Henry Nzube Ikeji, in Abuja.

In a statement signed by the Commandant-General, EndingGBV, Abhulimhen, and made available to journalists in Abuja, yesterday, quoted that the POWA President lamented the rising cases of violence against women and girls in the country, saying the menace must be collectively tackled by all right-thinking individuals and groups in the country.

She pledged that her office would be collaborating in ending gender-based violence.

Abhulimhen, who spoke earlier, said that fighting the menace of GBV must be a shared responsibility to give women and girls their rights and the freedom to live as equals with their opposite gender.

He said the group, in order to carry along key stakeholders in the fight, had in 2022 organised a conference in collaboration with the Nigerian Governors Wives’ Forum (NGWF) in Abuja.

“The conference event is to provide an opportunity for everyone to stand up for the rights of women and girls across the globe, to end sexual and physical violence, economic, spiritual, political, social and cultural inequality and to empower women and girls to create their own independent futures.

Also in a remark, Ikeji expressed willingness and commitment to support the EndingGBV event next year.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Abiodun Sylvester Alabi, who spoke on the visit, said the Nigeria Police Force had set up a Gender-Based Unit within the Force with the responsibility of handling cases resulting from gender-based violence.

He stated that the new unit would also collaborate with the rights groups in ensuring prevention of GBV and also ensuring that justice is served to offenders across the country.