‘No woman should live in fear of violence’
The United States Consul General, Claire Pierangelo, has said that no woman or girl child should live in fear of violence, saying that every girl child should grow up knowing she is safe and free to follow her dreams and live her best life.
Consul General Pierangelo, who spoke at the just-concluded three-day capacity building programme for 100 police officers and civil defense operatives as part of efforts to counter gender-based violence in Nigeria, said gender-based violence has life-threatening consequences for women and girls, which has a profound impact on their opportunities and life trajectory.
He urged the participants, the men and women of the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps to lead the improvement in the management of gender-based cases at their respective stations.
Supported by the U.S. Consulate General, the workshop was organised in partnership with the U.S.-based International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF), one of the foremost anti-sexual violence organizations in Nigeria.
According to a statement signed by the Information Specialist, Public Affairs Section (PAS) of U.S. Consulate General, Lagos, Temitayo Famutimi, the law enforcement training programme covered a number of topics including ways of overcoming complexities of gender-based violence, trauma-informed first response, and investigative strategies to improve law enforcement response to gender-based violence.
The Consul General highlighted the U.S. government’s commitment to supporting initiatives that break the cycle of sexual and gender-based violence, saying that a more open, inclusive and democratic society that respects the diversity and rights of women is critical to preventing and responding to gender-based violence.
He noted that the law enforcement training is part of a variety of programmes organised by the U.S. Consulate and its partners to promote zero-tolerance against gender-based violence, a priority for the United States all over the world.
“On December 4, U.S. Consulate staff and members of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), joined WARIF for its third annual advocacy march to call attention to combatting gender-based violence. In addition, Consul General Pierangelo participated in a December 1 dialogue with civil society representatives working to end the scourge of gender-based violence in Nigeria,” the statement reads.
“Each year, the world marks ‘16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence’starting on November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) and ending on December 10 (Human Rights Day). This campaign is used to call for global actions to increase awareness and take action for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls,” it added.
