The Youth Alive Foundation (YAF) has trained Non-Governmental Organizations, community groups and lawyers on Gender-Based Violence advocacy.
The group also called for the harmonization of all related laws on sexual and gender-based violence in Lagos State, to address GBV.
The training, which was supported by the Commonwealth Foundation, had in attendance cluster members of YAF’s Safeguarding Against Abuse and Exploitation of Girls and Women (SAVE) Project.
Feyikemi Fabiyi-Omoniy, the Program Officer, YAF Lagos, said the group is working on the domestication t of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act in five states across the country.
Fabiyi-Omoniyi explained that with the existence of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency and the associated law in Lagos State, it is important that the state harmonizes all the laws, to avoid conflict and ensure that all forms of violence are duly addressed.
She added that “in Lagos, the DSVA is overriding the VAPP Act, but we are advocating to the LASG to harmonize all these laws so that it can address all forms of violence against women.
“We know that Lagos state has zero tolerance for violence against women and because the VAPP Act touches on different forms of violence, it is important that it is domesticated in the state.”
Speaking about how responsive the Lagos State Government has been, Fabiyi-Omoniyi noted that “we have been informed that the state is currently working on the harmonization of the law and it is at the office of the Attorney General.
“This is why we are building the capacity of our cluster members to be able do necessary advocacy in their spheres of influence, to tackle GBV.”
The YAF-Lagos Project Officer thereafter noted that trained participants are expected to step down the training to their colleagues, communities and networks.
Chamberlain Etukudoh, Programs Coordinator and Communications Specialist, YAF explained that “the training is targeted at SAVE Cluster partners to take up the issue of GBV in Lagos and the aim is to improve their capacity on understanding the legal frameworks in the country and Lagos in particular.
“Through this training, we want to improve the capacity of trainees on GBV advocacy, improve their capacity to do effective public awareness campaign for GBV and to ensure there is collective action towards dealing with the issues of GBV in the state.”
Etukudoh who charged the participants to be persistent to get more results as they embark on advocacies said “advocacy is not one single action, but a combination of a number of actions and events put together in a sequenced plan. Do not relent because the end point of advocacy one might be the beginning of another one.”
He noted that “after the training, participants are expected to replicate this training and share the knowledge with their organizations, communities, and we expect to see a ripple effect.
One of the participants, Abimbola Obaseki, the Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), commended the organizers for the step-down training which she said has been empowering.
Describing the importance of the training, Obaseki said “in our area in Ikorodu, we need a lot of advocacies to go to the hinterlands. After now, I will be going to my organization to cascade the training and we expect a lot of impact.”
For her part, another participant, Patricia Okosodo, Executive Director of Golden Empowerment Foundation said the training has equipped her with the relevant laws on GBV and she understands how to embark on advocacies and use relevant strategies.