Gender based violence is committed against women and girls on a daily basis in our society especially with men perpetrating these crimes.
Despite the reportage of these gender based crimes, it continues to scale up and goes about allegedly unchecked, uninvestigated and the culprits being let off the hook without any repercussions thereby eliciting fear in victims and causing them not to speak out.
This has compelled the Take It Back Movement, to decry the increase of these gender based violence against women, girls and marginalized individuals.
Speaking at an event that called to end all manner of Sexual Gender Based Violence, The Head, Gender Department Of Take It Back (TIB) Movement, Omolola Pedro, based her awareness campaign around the theme of
“Addressing the rise in cases of violence against women and girls”
Held at the
International Press Centre. Ogba, Lagos, the event also doubled as a call to all stakeholders to join in spreading awareness against the societal vice of Sexual and Gender Based Violence.
She also called on the government to take enforceable action against these set of perpetrators in law enforcement especially the Police Force.
They based these demands on the following:
1) Strengthening of laws to hold such persons accountable for their actions and protect victims. Passage of the prohibition of violence against persons bill in all 36 states of the federation.
2) Increased support for victims by providing legal, financial, medical, counseling,trauma care and safe houses to them.
3) Launch of national awareness campaign to challenge harmful gender stereotype, promote consent in healthy relationships and non violent relationships.
4)The creation of Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency across the 35 states in the country like Lagos State.
She also called on all Nigerians to join in tackling the menace of Sexual Gender Based Violence and for the government to declare a state of emergency on Sexual Gender Based Violence, also create a task force on Gender Based Violence, increase funding to support all SGBV programs and ensure that victims and survivors of SGVB get access to all forms of support they need.
She said the Take It Back Group, would continue to puta close eye on the demands to the government and act as a watchdog for the total enforcement of all the demands.
In attendance were members of the Take It Back Movement, members of the press and other key stakeholders.
