Some advocates for women rights and fair treatment of the female gender in society have said that it was high time government’s campaigns, plans and promises began to reflect the action plans for “addressing gender-based violence now and in the future.”
The call was made by participants at a recent event in Lagos, tagged, ‘Social Norms as a Driver of Inequality and Gender-based Violence (GBV) – An Intersectional Discussion.’
The event was organised by a group of non-governmental organisations, in conjunction with Ford Foundation.
They collectively agreed that a holistic approach was needed to prevent and ultimately end gender-based violence and discrimination/exclusion of people with disabilities.
“As Nigeria steps into another democratic dispensation, it is imperative for stakeholders to bring the issue of gender-based violence into the conversation and for citizens to hold government accountable,” they said.
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They also said that those with power and influence to change the narrative as well as those most affected by gender-based violence must lead the call for the prioritisation of violence prevention and response efforts in Nigeria.
The discussants also pointed out that “Sadly, in many African societies and settings, GBV and disability is scarcely discussed in the open and thus continue to thrive under the culture of silence and stigma.”
They strongly believe that “such conversations need to be hard in the most unusual places such as the AfricaNxt event and beyond if we are ever to move the needle on preventing GBV.”
