African Initiative for Children and Women Advancement, an NGO, on Wednesday called on violated or sexually abused women and girls to always speak out their experiences.
AIFOCAWA’s President, Millicent Osakwa, made the call at an awareness programme to mark the 16 days activism to end Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Bmoku Community, Bwari Area Council, Abuja.
The theme of this year’s 16 days activism to end GBV was “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent and Collect”.
Osakwa, who was represented by the NGO’s Programme Coordinator, Halima Abdulrauf, decried the increasing cases of violence against women and girls in spite of efforts at curbing the ugly situation.
“We are here to sensitise people and ensure they know what to do when they experience such.
“It might not be just physically abusing someone, and it might not be you in person, maybe a neighbour, or a friend, but we want a situation where you can also serve as a mouth piece for them.
“The government is doing its best and enough to fight gender based violence, but maybe we have only segmented this fight to the city. The rural community also needs to know more.
“There is no means for them to report their cases, and so they keep quiet and die in silence. They keep enduring and some lose their lives along the line.
”Some perpetrators might even get caught but they tend to release them without getting the victims the justice they deserve,” she said.
Osakwa enjoined women and girls currently experiencing any form of violence to open up in spite of intimidation or threat from their abusers.
The president also called for justice to be given to every affected women and girls, irrespective of their family background or status.
“People should learn to come out. Most women were not able to tell their story today and with that, they die in the process.
“The children you are trying to protect will not even get the care they deserve, because you choose to die in silence as a mother,” she said.
Osakwa also called for collective effort of the governments, the public and individuals in ending violence against women and girls.
Ibrahim Dangana, a Chief in Bmoku Community, said that violence against women could be resolved at the grassroots level through interventions from organisations like AIFOCAWA.
Dangana said that GBV was a global issue that must be treated accordingly, adding that without quick intervention more women, men, girls and boys would be exposed to sexual abuses.
“There are a lot of people who cannot come out to say what they are going through, but as AIFOCAWA has come to the grassroots like this, we will be able to fight it from this level.
“For example, my community has a standing order that anyone facing violence should voice out, that is, whenever there is such, they should report to the palace and we will treat it as urgent, ” he said.
The community leader thanked the NGO for the campaign to end violence against women and girls, and that it should continue with its assignment.
He appealed to women and girls in the community to always speak out so that the palace and other relevant authorities would know what steps to take.
AIFOCAWA is a platform where spirited individuals come together to oversee the welfare of women and girls, with a view to helping them overcome incidences of violence.