Omolara Akintoye
IN order to commemorates the UN 16 Days of Activism for Gender Based Violence, the Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF), a non-profit organization leading the charge against gender based violence in Nigeria, held an advocacy march to raise awareness against gender based violence in Nigeria.
The march, tagged the “No Tolerance March,” was organized following the success of the “No Tolerance” advocacy campaign launched earlier in the year.
The campaign saw celebrities like Richard Mofe-Damijo, RMD; Rita Dominic; Kate Henshaw; Funke Akindele and many more stand with WARIF to say no to sexual abuse and violence by posting short videos and pictures on their social media platforms.
The march took off from Lekki Phase 1 across the Lekki/Ikoyi link bridge. It was kicked off by the United States Consular General to Lagos, Madam Claire Pierangelo described gender based violence as human rights issue that needs both men and women to contribute to its end.
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According to the envoy, for this problem to end, men must play a significant role and “we are pleased to see that men are increasingly recognizing their responsibility to help end this scourge,” she said.
Wife of the First Lady of Lagos State was also represented by the Wife of the Attorney General of Lagos, Mrs. Olabisi Onigbanjo who commended WARIF for its efforts and reiterated the need for more awareness on rape and sexual violence.
The founder of the organization, Dr. Kemi DaSilva, in her speech said: “At WARIF, we believe that no single individual, organization, foundation, or government can stop the epidemic of sexual violence; but by responding to the responsibility of tackling the problem as a collective, we each bring together our unique piece of the solution. We believe that participation in these collaborative efforts are critical in making our voices heard and to bringing an end to sexual violence in our society.”
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