CSOs, activists lament prevalence of SGBV in Osun, take campaign to churches

A coalition of civil society groups, non-governmental organisations, human rights activists, and other stakeholders have lamented the prevalence of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Osun State and have called for urgent actions to curb the menace.

With a view to sensitising members of the public on the dangers of SGBV in society, these concerned stakeholders, under the aegis of the Movement Against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Osun State, stormed some churches on Sunday and appealed to worshippers to join the advocacy against all forms of violence in the state.

The sensitisation is part of activities marking this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, which will begin on Monday, November 25, and end on December 10, 2024.

The activism is an annual international campaign that challenges violence against women and girls, and it is themed: “End Violence Against Women and Girls, Break the Silence.”

Led by the coordinator of the movement, Citizen Lola Wey, the groups visited the Methodist Church Nigeria, Ofatedo Junction, and the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, along Osogbo-Gbongan Expressway, Osogbo, where they separately narrated some of the bizarre assaults that women and young children have suffered at the hands of violent men.

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Addressing the congregation at the Methodist Church, Wey disclosed that Osun ranks fourth among states where SGBV is prevalent in Nigeria, saying stakeholders, including the clergy and faithful, should rise and speak out against violence.

She recalled how a 95-year-old woman was raped by a young man at Service Area, Osogbo, recently and how the victim died after months of trauma.

Wey also explained how a 65-year-old woman, who was taking her ailing husband to the hospital in the state, was attacked by a group of suspected armed robbers who collected her phone, transferred money from her bank account, and raped her in front of her sick husband.

She bemoaned the rise in the exploitation of adolescent girls, teenagers, and other ugly abuses, urging the government and the people of Osun to condemn violence and desist from shielding perpetrators.

According to her, there are punishments stipulated in the law for those who hide culprits of SGBV. She admonished married women experiencing gender-based violence to report their abusive husbands and not risk their lives by staying in toxic relationships.

At the C&S Church, the same appeal was rendered to the congregation.

Wey said that the 16 Days of Activism would commence on Monday with a roadshow to sensitise residents of Osogbo against SGBV.