NGO urges religious leaders to preach against sexual and gender violence

A non -governmental organization (NGO) under the aegis of Protect the Child Foundation (PTCF), has accused religious leaders of intensifying the efforts in preaching against sexual and gender violence (SGBV) and the stigmatization of survivors.

They also urged them to integrate SGBV prevention into marriage advice.

The NGO with the support of the French Embassy fund gave Lokoja the accusation during the separate visits to defense of the organization under his Ebulejonu project to the respective leadership of the chapters of Kogi State of Islam Nasril Jam’Atu Nasril (JNI) and Christian Association of Nigeria (Can) respectively.

The founder and executive director of the Protect The Child Foundation, the lawyer Elizabeth Ebulejonu Achimugu, who led the team in defense visits revealed that “sexual and gender violence continues to be a silent but serious crisis in Nigeria and in particular in the state of Kogi because of the poverty, the unsuspecting and the force of the law weak among other challenges.

He urged religious leaders to denounce the cases of Sgbv to the appropriate law enforcement officers instead of treating them as a “domestic deal” within their folds and the need for traditional women and people with disabilities in the decision -making process, in particular on issues that influence them.

“Women, children and people with disabilities (PWD) are affected disproportionately”. He said.

The NGO asks for a better governance at all levels in order to improve the living conditions of the population, in particular the vulnerable population.

In his response, the president of the chapter of the State of Kogi di Jni, the Bello Usman ambassador, appreciated the visit from the NGO and revealed that JNI as Islamic organization is doing everything possible to promote the ideals of protection and safety of women, children and people with disabilities as supported by the PTCF.

The beautiful ambassador has also declared that he also preaches peaceful coexistence, understanding, cooperation unit and love through their Islamic imams and religious leaders.

He expressed the readiness of JNI to collaborate and compare the notes with PTCF and the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria to propagate the message of brotherhood, love, peace and understanding, despite the fact that there would always be deviant behaviors in society.

Subsequently, the PTCF team visited the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (Can), the chapter of the state of Kogi in Lokoja, where the team was warmly welcomed by the president of the state of the association, the special shepherd of the apostle Dr Adebayo Olaniyan.

Achimugu, while affirmed the purpose of the visit, observed that “with the support of the Fund for the French Embassy, Protect the Child Foundation is currently being aware, defense and awareness around sexual and gender violence under his” Ebulejonu project “in progress.

According to her, the objective of the project is to advance the rights of women, children and people with disabilities, observing that “we have therefore come to solicit your support in the fight against SGBV, in order to exploit the pulpit and the strong influence on your congregations”

By responding, Olaniyan declared that the Church is not silent on SGBV issues since the Church often preaches against domestic violence, leads pre-dark and continuous advice, as well as relying on reconciliation between couples and families.

He complained that a great challenge is that most women don’t speak in time even when they live domestic violence.

He added that their church does not prevent women from reporting cases of Sgbv, but perhaps for factors such as archaic cultural beliefs, challenges with judicial/legal systems, the Nigerian police and the medical requirement for proof of cases of sexual/domestic violence among other inhibitions.

The president underlined the need for a reform of the country’s judicial system and the importance of the economic empowerment for women, therefore they should not have depended on their husbands as their “alpha and omega” for sustenance.

It requested the support of PTCF in helping to establish cans of cans on a can on SGBV to facilitate the collaboration, the collection of data and the adequate management of the cases of SGBV.

The defense of visits to religious leaders offered the opportunity for constructive dialogues and the need for collaboration to face violence and sexual and gender protection of women’s rights, children and people with disabilities in the state of Kogi.

The NGO also used the opportunity to distribute some of its brochures and defense materials on Sgbv to the clerics in order to spread the message to their members.

The PTCF expressed their gratitude to the fund of the French Embassy for its support and the impact in the state of Kogi through the Ebulejonu project.
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