… SSA to Kogi Gov, Sandra Mimi raises awareness on ending violence against women, girls
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Kogi State (office of the First Lady), Hon. Sandra Mimi, on Wednesday, organized an event to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
16 DAYS of Activism is an annual global campaign that runs from International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25th to Human Rights Day on December 10th.
The interactive session which took place at Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja was put together in partnership with Rashida Bello Foundation, SAPE and Women in politics.
The guest speaker, a media practitioner, Mr. Michael Abu while delivering a brief on Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, commended the Kogi State government for signing the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law, which he said aims to prohibit all forms of violence against persons.
He said violence may not necessarily be physically, it could be verbal and perpetrated in several ways.
The main thrust of the VAPP Law he explained is to prevent all forms of violence, especially gender based violence in the state. He identified rape, forceful ejection from home, female genital mutilation, forced isolation, child labor, trafficking or any threat or violence done to self or community as forms of violence which the law prohibits.
Mike noted that violence against women is on the rise as a result of harmful cultural practices and individual characters. He advocated for a more holistic approach to tackling the menace, through sensitization and early reporting of violence cases.
A legal practitioner, Barr. Maryann Taru, in her speech, shed light on the various forms of gender based violence and the institutions empowered to address cases of GBV in Kogi State.
She said the Public Defender and Citizens Rights Commission was established by the Kogi State government with the responsibility to attend to cases of GBV. The commission, along with other non-governmental organizations operating in the state work to shed light on the prevalence of gender based violence and promote discussions on how to combat it through workshops, seminars and awareness campaigns conducted to engage communities, educate individuals and challenge the societal norms that contribute to the perpetuation of violence against women and girl child.
In her remarks, Hon. Sandra said the theme of the event “Unite, Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women” aimed to raise awareness on gender based violence and advocate for the prevention and elimination of such violence. She said the campaign holds significant importance as Kogi state, like every other state in the country, grapples with persistent issues of violence against women, hence the need for all stakeholders to unite in addressing the menace.
Sandra said the essence of gathering young people, especially students for the event was to ensure that they are adequately informed engaged at young age about gender based violence, which she said are perpetuated in various ways.
She appreciated the partners for their support in ensuring that the awareness reached the targeted audience which is the youths.
In his goodwill message, the Rector of Kogi State Polytechnic, Dr. Usman Ogbo, commended the SSA, Hon Sandra Mimi for her initiative to enlighten the public on the danger of violence against women and the girl child. He said women empowerment is one of the fastest ways to end gender-based violence, adding that the administration of Governor Yahaya Bello has set an example of women empowerment which the polytechnic is following to ensure that women are adequately positioned to serve as advocates against gender-based violence.
Dr. Ogbo said the polytechnic under him is critical on issues of gender-based violence as many who were caught have been sacked from the institution and handed over to relevant law enforcement agencies.
The academic advocated for quick and effective prosecution of perpetrators, more services for survivors and training for law enforcement officials to end the violence.
Higlights of the event was the interactive session, distribution of books to students sponsored by the House of Representatives member representing Ajaokuta Constituency, and official unveiling of SAPE, a non-governmental organization which seek Save, Protect and Empowerment individuals in the society.