Safe space initiative, Brazilian embassy scales up GBV campaign

To increase awareness of the impact of Gender Based Violence, (GBV), Safe Space Initiative and the Embassy of Brazil have floated a stage play campaign tagged ‘Mirror, Mirror.

Executive Director, Safe Space Initiative, Tosin Akingbode-Osho, said the Mirror Mirror stage play is a campaign that speaks to the gender norms and gender based violence issues.

She said “For us at Safe Space Initiative, this is a community advocacy and storytelling tool that e seek to take to different states of the nation to be able to address the issue of gender based violence from the grassroots, from our communities.

“The stage play actually is about two middle age couples and how they grew up mirroring norms in the society including negative gender norms,” she explains.

Speaking at the official launch of the play in Abuja, Safe Space Initiative is an organization that seeks to help survivors of GBV access help through psychosocial therapy, empowerment initiative and a safe space to heal and integrated back into the society.

Akingbode-Osho adds, “We are going to take the Mirror Mirror stage play to all the 36 states of the federation. Currently, this is our fourth time showing it in Abuja and we seek to take it to other states in the coming quarter.”

Charge d’Affairs, Brazilian embassy in Nigeria, João Marcelo-Soares, pointed that GBV is a universal problem that comes from inequality between men and women

According to him, “gender based violence is above all a question of justice this is about the third or fourth event in the embassy about gender based violence and I think that expresses how important the issue is and I believe we are making progress.

“We all have very fundamental roles to play as this does not only affect the economy but all aspects of our lives,”

Speaking on impact the stage play will have on its target audience, Project Coordinator , Women’s Voices and Leadership ActionAid Nigeria, Niri Goyit, said her agency works to reduce and eradicate poverty by working with people living in poverty especially women and girls.

She said ” ActionAid work to reduce gender inequality and we do a lot of work with local women’s rights organizations, networks and movements to ensure that we are reaching out to different issues around women and girls so we are proud partners with Safe Space Initiative.”