by Ruth Oginyi
NOA Ebonyi state with support from the EU UN spotlight initiative has organized a Mobilization and sensitization meeting with community stakeholders and service providers to raise awareness on the need to speak about violence against children, women and girls in 7 local governments in Ebonyi state.
The stakeholders were also urged to raise up against all forms of gender-based violence in their various groups in the council area.
Elder Matthew Odono State Director of the National Orientation Agency Ebonyi state at the meeting noted that violence against children, women, and girls are pressing societal issue that every stakeholder must join hands to end.
“We are here to address pressing societal problems bordering on violation of women, children, and girls’ rights in society today this thing has become very rampant you hear of rape child labor, and child trafficking of course we are not forgetting female genital mutilation and cutting these are things that affect our women, our children, and girls.
“The unfortunate thing is that these things happen under our watch and people are not speaking out because of maybe stigmatization and so we have come to enlighten people, sensitize stakeholders that as critical stakeholders they should encourage GBV survivors to speak because if you don’t fight a crime the thing will continue to grow. There are laws against these things courtesy of the state government.
Elder Odono noted that the issue of child labor, and rape is on the increase and is worried by the menace that is why NOA is in the council areas for rapid sensitization to let them know that the law will take effect should anyone be caught.
According to him, Child labor is above 75% increase in Ebonyi. Children who should not come out are hawkers and even those in the school rush back to hawk sachet water and their parents are depending on them is that not child labor.?
Speaking, Unah Uchenna UNICEF desk officer NOA Ebonyi state, noted that GBV is a social issue that can not end in jiffy hence continuing stakeholders’ engagement to end the menace in the state.
The desk officer explained that Unicef is supporting NOA to engage community leaders and members in about 7 local governments which are Abakaliki, Ohaukwu, Ohaozara, Izzi, Onicha, Ezza South, and to engage community leaders to see how they could start reporting GBV issues on time.
“At times they report GBV cases after weeks, months that it happened. We want them to start reporting it as soon as it happens.
“When you see it, it is either you report to NOA officer at the local government or a social welfare officer at the local government or anyone who renders services on GBV or report to the Ministry of Women Affairs and Ministry of Justice. He said.
Ijeoma Mike Ajah Nwachukwu, counsel with the state ministry of justice on her part urged survivors of GBV to kill the culture of silence and speak up so that suspects will be prosecuted according to the law.
She said “We are doing a lot. We make sure that information is filled against the defendant (the accused person) but our problem is to get them to report and get them to come and testify in court.
Stakeholders at the event including Onwe Chinasa from Amofia Ngbo and Mrs. Onwe Esther Nwafor in their submissions called for proper parenting to end the increasing rate of violence against women, girls, and children in their council.
Adding that women empowerment can reduce child labor and street hawking in the state if the government can empower them.
