By Emmanuel Onwusoro
The media can contribute to the fight against Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the society by promoting good values through the dissemination of information in local languages.
This was the consensus at a stakeholders’ meeting of security agents and the media put together by the Justice Development And Peace Initiative, JDPI, of the Catholic Diocese of Ekiti, Ado-Ekiti.
The Director, JDPI, Rev. Father Akingbade, said the Non-governmental body has been in the vanguard of mounting enlightenment programmes with a view to keeping the public abreast of the danger of GBV in the society.
He remarked that the crusade has been taken to the communities across the local government areas and Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs, of Ekiti State to educate them on the legal position of GBV.
The cleric explained that similar gathering had been held for traditional rulers and others, while the media and the security agents were undergoing theirs because by their profession they should contribute to remedying the trend.
According to him,”there is a law in Ekiti State that protects GBV. GBV is not limited to an abuse against women”. He stressed that it is committed in different forms with the society being at the receiving end.
The JDPI, he added, remains involved in making the society aware of the law and penalties associated with GBV, and will continue to collaborate with the government to combat it, considering the alarming rate.
In their separate presentations, the stakeholders flayed the rate at which gender-based violence has continued to thrive in the society despite efforts by the different levels of government, non-governmental organizations, NGOs, individuals and segments of the society.
Aside advising the media to pass information on the menace in local languages, the stakeholders identified factors contributing to the unabating rise in the trend to include tradition/culture, especially assumed superiority of men to their women counterparts, pointing out that this scenario may have adverse relationship in the family, government policies which at times seem to hamstring efforts at tackling GBV, parental care, unemployment, illiteracy, stigmatization among others.
It was also observed that the unwillingness of members of the public to cooperate with the police in prosecuting GBV offenders contributes to why appropriate punishments are not meted out culprits, and at the end of the they go Scot-free.
On the other hand, it was submitted that a law should be promulgated to ensure that while culprits face the music, survivors of GBV should be compensated. Efforts should equally be channelled toward addressing the economic hardship the citizens are going through.
The event was attended by the media, Nigeria Correctional Centre and the Directorate of State Services.