In the yesteryear, a young girl’s uncle took her to the city. He promised to give her quality education and good home, among other things. The girl and her parents fell for it.
Contrary to the promises, things turned awry as early as she arrived at her uncle’s home. She immediately became a servant and was subjected to various forms of cruel treatment. She attended school in tears.
One day, she demanded school fees from her uncle. For this, she received severe beating and was forced to kneel down under the sun.
She was serving that punishment when a passerby (her uncle’s friend) saw her. Moved with pity, the passerby enquired from her what the matter was. The girl narrated her ordeal to the man who urged her to come to his office for the money.
Excitedly and relieved, she rushed to see him at the appointed day, only for the man to rape her in his office. He threatened to kill her if she told anyone about it.
The girl mustered courage and told her uncle. But the he girl, her uncle doubted her, stripped her and kicked her into the streets—naked.
That was where she met a Good Samaritan and the contact that fulfilled her dreams. Today, she is proudly married and has children.
But how many of her type are that lucky? What about a man who, after some years of marriage that was blessed with children, decided to take a second wife? One day, an argument ensued between both wives and the second wife poured hot water on her senior colleague.
Neighbours rushed the woman to the nearest hospital and her assailant to the police. But on their husband’s return, he asked the police to release her and arrest him instead. After securing her bail, he divorced his first wife while still in hospital.
In another instance, a father sexually abused his two daughters who were 12 and 14 years old respectively. The older one was courageous enough to open up.
She opened up to their 20-year-old brother who eventually blew it by taking them to the palace of their traditional ruler for safety.
These are few examples of the many cases of gender-based violence (GBV) and Violence against Children (VAC) that occur daily.
Despite the outcry about the increasing incidents of victimisation, a lot more are not publicised.
It was on this ground that the European Union (EU), United Nations Women, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Federal Government entered into a partnership towards curbing the trend.
As part of the activities, the coalition held a one-day workshop with select religious and community leaders and other stakeholders in Gombe State. The workshop aimed at finding solution to the problems of VAC and GBV in various communities. The workshop also aimed at strengthening the commitment of stakeholders in combating the trend by tapping into applicable religious injunctions and practices that discourage VAC and GBV.
At the forum, resource persons categorised VAC into emotional, physical and sexual. Emotional violence, they said, is ridiculed, talked-down on or put down by parents. Adult caregivers or adult relatives who continually show or tell victims, mostly children, that they were unloved or did not deserve to be loved, or wished they were dead or had never been born.
Physical violence was defined as physical acts of violence such as physical assault–punching (hitting with a fist), spanking, kicking, whipping, beating with an object, choking, smothering, burning intentionally, using or threatening to use a gun, knife or other weapons, regardless of whether or not it resulted in obvious physical or mental injury.
Sexual violence describes all forms of sexual abuse and exploitation. This encompasses rape, attempted non-consensual sex acts, abusive sexual contact (i.e. unwanted touching) and pressured sex (such as through threats or tricks) regardless of the setting and perpetrators’ relationship to the child/victim. It was also established that victims experience these forms of violence on multiple occasions and they often experience more than one type (either at same time or at different points).
Witnessing violence was said to have effects on children’s behavioural and social development as adults are significantly more likely to perpetrate physical violence against their intimate partner if they witnessed it in childhood.
The representative of UN Women in Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Dr. Grace Ongile said the choice of community and religious leaders was based on their roles as value bearers, spiritual mentors and critical stakeholders in the quest for sustainable peace.
Ongile, who was represented by the Deputy Programme Manager, UN Women, Peter Mancha, said violence against women slows down poverty eradication, just as it is a consequence of discrimination against women. She added that prevention is possible.
She said GBV/VAC prevention strategy needed to be backed by political will and holistic participation by all sectors of the community so that it could have a long-lasting and permanent impact.
“Evidence has shown that community mobilisation to change social norms and educational programmes, including gender equality training for both women and men are some of the interventions that have helped.
“It is, however, important to note that any prevention strategy that is not backed by political will and holistic participation from all sectors of the community will not have a long-lasting and permanent impact.
“You and I can work together. Governments, civil society organisations, businesses, schools could help to achieve a more equal world where women/girls and children will be free from violence. A little touch goes a long way,” she said.
Ongile said: “Religious and community leaders could bring the desired change when they continue to emphasise values and cultural practices that support equality and respect for women, girls and children in their teachings; support local programmes that provide services to victims and survivors; speak out about sexual assault and domestic violence as well as encourage and support training to increase the awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence.”
Contributing, the Permanent Secretary, Gombe State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Muhammadu Adamu Bappah said a draft copy of the domesticated Child Rights Law was already before the Ministry of Justice for consideration and onward presentation as bill to the State Assembly. He said it was against this background that the state government praised the stakeholders’ discussion on how best to handle and manage GBV/VAC in the state.
He recalled that a 2014 National Survey Report indicates that “approximately six out of every 10 children experience some form of violence. Half of all children experience physical violence. One out of every four girls and one out of every 10 boys experience sexual violence while one out of six girls and one out of five boys experience emotional violence.”
He said: “Thinking that violence against children is not a problem and that ‘it is their fault’ by perpetrators” were barriers to children seeking help against violence. The fear of getting into trouble and children’s inability to afford or get the services they need, fear of stigmatisation and lack of sufficient response to enable service providers analyse the reasons also build-up VAC.
“These are traits that shape our perception, thinking and behaviours on GBC/VAC. We are aligned to our thinking in this modern age and present realities. GBC/VAC is moral imperatives. “I wish to call on us all to reconsider our belief systems, norms, values and practices which provide acceptable ways,” said the Permanent Secretary as he called on participants to step down the benefits of the forum in their respective areas.
Quoting Marie Fortunes in his paper on “Christian Perspective on Violence against Women and Children in Nigeria,” Pastor Musa David described sexual assault as bodily sin that violates bodily boundaries and distorts one’s sense of body image. It is also a sin against relationship because it violates the command to love one’s neighbour as oneself.
He further said it betrays trust and destroys relationships.
and those who should have cared for them, the consequence of which could lead to distrust in victims in their future relationships. He said it is also a sin against the community surrounding the victim.
He said referred to sexual assault as not only emotional trauma, but also a humiliating and debilitating loss of sense of self and something that “is deeply traumatising and resulting in devastating emotional and psychological consequences for the victim.”
Pastor David emphasised the need for publicity on the issue through church magazines, postal/fliers with various pungent inscriptions; organising seminars/public lectures and rallies on war against GBV/VAC; enforcing church discipline without discrimination; launching a social media campaign and embarking on intercessory prayers, among others.
