By Adekunle Williams
The Women Liberation and Transformation Group (W-LIT) has sensitised members of the Adaranijo Community, Shomolu in Lagos, in order to end violence against women and the girl-child in the community.
President of the group, Mrs Olanike MicTaiwo, made this known in Lagos at the flag-off of the Community Dialogue/Village Square Rally on Ending Violence against Women and Girls.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report that the project which was Sub-Granted by Women Advocate Research and Documentation Center (WARDC) is funded by Ford Foundation.
The theme of the exercise is “Building Community Level accountability Mechanism and enhancing collaboration between Women Leaders and Traditional Institutions in Addressing Gender Based Violence.”
MicTaiwo said they were in the community to build solidarity, accountability and commitment of traditional institution, religious leaders, women leaders and market leaders towards ending Violence Against Women and Girls
MicTaiwo noted that they made the pledged to stand against Gender Based Violence and Violence Against Women and Girls and to reveal perpetrators in the community
The W-LIT president said it was a six month Project that would be implemented In two communities in Lagos Central senatorial District (Adaranijo community and Bajulaye community) in Shomolu local government.
She said: “It is a six months project that will be implemented in two communities (Adaranijo community and Bajulaye community) in Shomolu local government.
“What we are doing today is a village square meeting where the Baale, council of chiefs and leaders of the community made an open declaration.
“They pledge to stand against Gender Based Violence and Violence Against Women and Girls and to reveal perpetrators in the community
“We will begin community dialogue with different stakeholders in the community so that we can build solidarity, Accountability and commitment to Ending Violence Against Women and Girls in the community.
”We have also heard from women their domestic violence experiences in their various homes in the past and that is why we always tell them to speak out.
“This has become necessary because when the victims keep silent, they will be encouraging the perpetrators to continue with the act.”
The W-LIT president particularly referred to a woman who, she said, narrated how she left her marriage in 1984 due to domestic violence.
According to her, some women in this community has narrated what they have suffered in the past due to domestic violence that is why we encourage them to break the silence and speak out.
She said a woman in the community was seeking for help because she was presently in an abusive marriage and member of the community attest to it.
MicTaiwo urged the perpetrators to stop Gender Base Violence and Violence Against Women and Girls so that they could have a better and greater Nigeria.
Speaking, Head of the community, Chief Ganiyu Adaranijo, said on behalf of thea Baale and the Council of Chiefs of Adaranijo community thanked WARDC and Ford Foundation for bringing this project to their community.
He noted that the purpose of the event was to seek an end to violence against women and girls in the area.
Adaranijo, who said that the community was always against husbands beating their wives and vice-versa, said that the community had zero tolerance for the perpetrators of such act.
He said it was also against the law of the country and that of God for father to have sex with his daughter, adding that the community had always been reporting such cases to the police for appropriate action.
Adaranijo also urged parents and guardians in the community to monitor their children, as leaders of tomorrow. (NAN)