Leadership Initiative For Youth Empowerment (LIFE) has sensitised some residents of Oshodi-Isolo Local Council of Lagos State on effective Gender-Based Violence (GBV) response.
This followed its ongoing project aimed at amplifying voices of female survivors of GBV.
In the project, the group trained advocates drawn from existing community groups and local institutions to raise awareness on provisions of the law for protection from rape, female genital mutilation, domestic violence and female trafficking among grassroots communities in the council.
The 32-month project supported by African Women Development Fund (AWDF) aimed at improving protection from sexual and gender-based violence for young girls and women through the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law (VAPP) 2015 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
It also aimed at impacting the relationship between community members, the police, and key government agencies that work in the field of GBV.
The Programme Officer, Stephen Ogechi, said both boys and girls are sexually abused and blackmailed to remain in secrecy. She therefore urged people to say something when they see things that are not right.
She noted that the penalty for defilement is life imprisonment, which is why the initiative will work in the council to empower beneficiaries with specific understanding of legal requirements and reporting procedures, so that communities can take a more active role in reporting incidents of sexual and gender-based violence to the police, and act as change agents in their local communities.
Ogechi added that 80 community champions would be trained. These would return to their communities and conduct knowledge transfer sessions to reach 8,000 community members in four months.
