Yetunde Oladeinde reports on the efforts of Echoes of Women in Africa Initiative to stamp out violence against women and girls, seizing the opportunity of the last Children’s Day.
Echoes of Women in Africa Initiative (ECOWA), a non-governmental women human rights organisation commemorated this year’s Children’s Day celebration in a unique way, when it organised a one-day workshop for boys on non-violence. The organisation also used the opportunity to establish a club on non-violence, as part of a preventive strategic plan on ending violence against women and girls.
School boys from different schools between the ages 14 and 16 years participated in the workshop. Papers were also presented, the first being ‘Understanding Sexual Violence’, by Louisa Ono Eikhomun, Executive Director of Echoes of Women in Africa Initiative. She explained the various forms of sexual violence as rape, with sub forms such as incest, statutory, transactional rape and pornography. In trying to get the understanding of the young participants, she presented some common myth surrounding sexual violence, such as ‘only bad girls get raped;’ ‘rape is an uncontrollable act.’
Interestingly, the boys supported these stereotypes until the facts were explained to them that there is no justification for rape and that dressing should never be an invitation to rape, as young children, boys and girls under two years have been victims of rape and older women of up to 75 years have also been raped.
She thus concluded that sexual desires are controllable because rape is an act of power over vulnerable victims.
The Second paper on ‘Youth and Drug Abuse’ was presented by Isaac Ajayi, a final year student of the University of Ibadan and a volunteer in ECOWA. In his definitions, a child is anyone under 18 years and a minor is anyone under 16 years (UNICEF), while youth is anyone from 18-25 years. He explained the various forms of hard drugs from heroin, cocaine, meth, marijuana, Colden and the dangerous effects of such social habits which include addiction and crime.
Isaac further explained the dangers of cultism and encouraged the boys to avoid cultism which has led to the death of many undergraduates in the universities.
A third paper was presented by a Police Superintendent O. Ikechukwu of Magodo Shangisha Police Division under Area H, Lagos. He explained the role of the police and the different ways it uses to address violence, which include arrest, detention, investigation and prosecution. Young boys he said are not exempted from the law and when a crime is committed by a boy, the matter is charged to a juvenile court after investigation. He advised the boys to be law abiding, and inform the police of any act of crime in their neighbourhood.
Group work and presentations were used to test the boys’ understanding of the issues. Thereafter, participants who showed commitments and leadership qualities were nominated for an election as ECOWA Peace Ambassadors. Six boys were elected by the participants to commence a peace club in three communities of Magodo, Isheri and Shangisha in Lagos State, with the objective to mobilise, organise and educate young boys against violence and violence against women and girls.
