South Saharan Social Development Organization (SSDO) Organizes a Workshop through its Sister Guardian Initiative (SGI) to Commemorate the 2022 International Women’s Day
THEME: Strengthening Local Institutions’ Capacity to Combat Gender-based Violence(GBV).
A report on the Sister Guardian Initiative Workshop held on the 8th of March 2022 on “Strengthening Local Institutions’ Capacity to Combat Gender-Based Violence”.
Introduction
The Sister Guardian Initiative (SGI) is a South Saharan Social Development Organization‘s flagship project on reducing violence against women at the community level. The initiative provides the immediate support that female victims of violence require— safety, counseling, mediation, and referrals to other relevant agencies as the case may demand. The SGI is presently in 17 communities across Enugu and Anambra states.
International Women’s Day is a global day to celebrate women’s socioeconomic, cultural, and political achievement. It is also a unique opportunity for women to rally and advocate for equal treatment and representation. Since the inception of the SGI in 2016, SSDO has organised an educational event geared towards women’s empowerment. This year was no different as a workshop was held to create more awareness on the effect of gender-based violence and rally relevant stakeholders on the need to enforce GBV laws.
The workshop featured participants drawn from 15 communities where the initiative has been executed. They include traditional rulers, President Generals, women leaders, government representatives and a representative of the Gender Unit Desk Officer of the Enugu State Police Headquarters.
Objectives
- Highlight the effect of gender-based violence on women and the community.
- Educating the audience on GBV laws.
- Developing actionable steps and strategies for better synergy between the Sister Guardian leaders and relevant stakeholders—traditional rulers and Police.
The project lead, Blessing Uchendu, was on the ground to detail the project’s journey thus far. “Since its inception, the chapters have supported over 1300 victims with counselling, conflict mitigation, temporary shelter and referrals to law enforcement or health facilities.”
Going forward, she also explained the plans of the project. “To achieve more with the project, we have to keep advocating for community leaders to understand the effect of GBV and partner with the Sister Guardians to resolve cases efficiently as well as capacity building.”
“It is also important that by-laws are enforced. This would dissuade perpetrators from abusing victims. We also believe that a working synergy between the Sister Guardians and the Police will give more credence to the effort of the women leaders.”
A documentary that captures the success of the initiative was also viewed. Helping the audience better understand the effects of gender-based violence on the victims and the community. It also showed victims sharing their stories and how the initiative helped them. It detailed the project’s successes across different communities and its plans going forward.
Mr Larry Oguego, National Coordinator, Human Rights Volunteer Corps of Nigeria, the lead speaker of the event, presented a paper on “Preventing Sexual and Gender-based Violence: How Community Leaders and Stakeholders Can Leverage the Law to Drive Change.” He analysed the various laws that address GBV issues, the roles of community leaders and stakeholders, and how they can be the voice of advocacy.
Recommendations
The following recommendations were proposed during the workshop to reduce GBV:
- Schools should include Gender equality and other gender-related issues in the school curriculum.
- Cascading the workshop to town hall meetings in various communities, the message reaches the grassroots.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the highlight of the conference emphasized the importance and the role of local institutions in combating gender-based violence. When laws are upheld by the community leaders and enforced by the Police, there will be a drastic reduction in GBV cases. Perpetrators will be dissuaded from continuing the atrocious acts of violence against women.
The outcome of this conference saw a more enlightened audience know their rights, know the effect of GBV on victims and the community. It also created a linkage and opportunities for collaboration between sister guardian leaders and relevant stakeholders.
