BENIN CITY- As part of efforts to enhance protection from gender-based violence, a Non-Governmental Organisation, Women’s Right and Health Project (WRAHP) on Thursday raised the awareness of 30 youths on the provisions of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law(VAPP) 2015.
Speaking at a 3-day Workshop for young people on VAPP law in Benin, Bose Ironsi, Executive Director of WRAHP, said the beneficiaries, who are community representatives, were selected from Egor and Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Areas in Edo State.
Ironsi said that the 12-month project, which was sponsored by Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), would go a long way to empower recipients to act as agents of social change through information sharing and advocacy in their respective communities.
She hinted that WRAHP would also conduct advocacy and engagement activities with the Ministry of Justice and the Nigeria Police to improve the support provided to survivors seeking justice.
The ED, while noting that similar project is ongoing in Ebonyi State, said that in addition to the training, they would produce and disseminate 5,000 copies of the law when the Edo State VAPP law, which is currently being reviewed, is signed into law.
“Women’s Rights and Health Project with the support of Open Society Initiative West Africa (OSIWA) is implementing a 12- month project to enhance protection from gender- based violence for women and girls in Ebonyi and Edo state by 2021.
“As an organisation, our thematic areas are rights and health of women, girls and community. So, this is fulfilling one of the areas; our vision of having a society where everybody develop their potential and respect their dignity as a person using rights-based approach.
“These community people are not just an individual; they are representatives of different structures so that at the end of the training they will go back to their group to disseminate the information they have gathered, thereby reaching out to a larger population.
“We trained 30 adults in the first phase, and this second phase is for 30 youths. We hope that, subsequently, we will be training media, police and government workers,” Ironsi said.
On her part, Charity Chris-Ebosele, Director, Edo State Ministry of Justice, said the project is apt amid rising cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the country.
“We are here in collaboration with WRHAP to sensitize youths from Egor and Ikpoba-Okha council on the knowledge of gender-based violence”, she said.
Also, Prof. Agatha Eguavoen of the Department of Sociology, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, said: “We are happy that WRAHP is here (Benin City) to train our young ones who are actually the leaders of tomorrow”.
Other stakeholders who spoke at the Workshop include; Professor Agatha Egauveon, Amore Olunfunmilola (DPO, Aideyan Division), ACP Adebowale Oni and Mrs. Ronke Ojiejere.
