Catholic foundation champions more advocacy against gender-based violence

By Christopher Oji, Lagos

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Catholic Sisters United Foundation (CSUF), has identified the urgent need to train anti-sexual and gender based violence (SBGV) champions who will continue educating and training other students in the fight against gender based violence in the society.

This is sequel to the success of the previous awareness and advocacy to schools which made tremendous impact in the previous phases of the project based on the project evaluation and demands made by different schools.

President of CSUF, Mrs. Justina Emefiene, made this known last Friday at Shasha Senior High School , Shasha in Alimosho Local Government Area, Lagos during a one-day training of anti-sexual and gender based violence {SBGV} champions organised by the Foundation. Welcoming participants to the event, Mrs Emefiene, said the organisation since inception had been working with children,but expanded into public and private schools since it got funding from ActionAID Nigeria through Women Health And Right Project (WHRAP).

The training which commenced at 9am had 75 participants drawn from students and teachers of the school’s junior and senior classes and catholic sisters’ foundation volunteers. The aim of the training was to give the participants a comprehensive knowledge on SGBV. According to the resource person at the event, Mrs Emerald Chioma Chukwu, Managing Director, Havila Impact (an NGO) sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) could be defined as violence committed against a person because of his/her sex and gender.

She explained that sexual and gender based violence could further be defined as forcing of another person to do something against his /her will through violence, coercion, threats, deception, cultural expectation or economic means. She advised the participants especially the students to report any attempt by anybody of any of the aforementioned issues on them adding that anyone whose conversation makes them uncomfortable, should be reported to school counselor, or parents/guardian.

Mrs Chukwu also offered some tips to the students and among other things, made them to be aware of the existence of sexual abuse. She advised them to learn to recognise strange behavior in the opposite sex, move in groups whenever possible, avoid dark or lonely places with the opposite sex, avoid others’ bedrooms and bathrooms. She also advised them to be careful in a suspicious environment of what they are given to drink, emphasising that they should handle drink carefully because unscrupulous people often drug or make potential victims drunk before abusing them.

The participants were also advised to always dress properly and learn to cry out if attacked no matter by who and to report to appropriate authorities; school counselor, parent/guardian, teachers religious leaders etc of any unseemly behaviour towards them, stressing that they should say something when they see something.