Voices For Change Intensify Campaign Against Gender-based Violence

ANGERED by the spate of gender-based violence in Lagos State, Voices For Change, a non-governmental organisation, has sensitized communities in the state to join hands with government to put a stop it. 

The group, funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), in collaboration with Kudirat Initiative For Democracy (KIND), during a road show, held on Wednesday, which took-off from National Stadium, Surulere, en-route Ojuelegba to Fadeyi, called on couples to have 50/50 equal rights, noting that ‘real men don’t hit women.’
 
According to the state cordinator of the group, Ruth Okonya, the road show was one of the activities to mark a16-day activism with theme: “Peace At Home, Peace In The World.”
 
Though she couldn’t lay her hands on any statistics to back her claim, she said gender based violence is still on the increase, saying it is because women are not raising alarm and such cases are not reported to the necessary authorities.
 
“People are always afraid to report their husbands and when such are done, the cases may be discarded. We are saying that men should stop beating their wives and women hitting the men should also stop. We also want to let Lagosians know that the state government has Domestic Violence Law, so such cases can be reported to the right authorities.” 
Okonya added that government has desks in each of the local government councils to address such cases.