KEY POINTS
- UN Women, OAIC sign deal against gender-based violence and discrimination.
- A two day faith leaders’ sensitization workshop to take place in Lagos.
- The objectives of the workshop are therefore to educate the people and make them appreciate the prevention strategies.
The Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC) has joined the fight against all forms of Gender Based Violence (GBV) with the involvement of religious leaders in Nigeria with support from UN Women.
This collaboration seeks to tap into the leadership voice that faith leaders have in the society to create awareness and encourage prevention of GBV.
Two-Day sensitization workshop in Lagos
Before the start of a two-day workshop on sensitization, the National President of OAIC Baba Aladura Israel Akinadewo urged heads of religious bodies to make it clear that they do not support violence especially violence against women.
The workshop titled Sensitisation Workshop on GBV Prevention for OAIC’s Faith Leaders in Nigeria is planned for todaty Thursday, 17th October and Friday, 18th October at Ikeja, Lagos.
Co-organized by UN Women, Leadership Empowerment and Advocacy Programme (LEAP), Ford Foundation and OAIC, it seeks to provide information to the faith leaders on causes of Gender Based Violence as well as responding measures.
The program aims at educating religious leaders on how best to prevent and combat GBV within their fellow flock and the public.
Religious leaders in the fight against gender based violence
In a press release that was forwarded to several media stations, Baba Aladura Akinadewo noted that religious leaders have the responsibility of setting the standards of expected behavior in the society.
He explained that through raising the level of risk understanding and prevention, the religious leaders can play a very important role in eliminating gender-based violence.
“I think religious leaders are in a very good place to shapes perceptions and practices in the society,” Akinadewo added. Therefore, through educating and mobilizing these leaders we can be in a position to contribute towards the fight against gender based violence.
Partnership to achieve larger results
The collaboration between OAIC and UN Women is an attempt to fight against GBV at the community level. To this end, the initiative seeks to mobilize faith leaders to change the negative cultural norms and behaviours that are a barrier to the violence against women and girls.
The workshop will focus on the issues that include; causes of GBV, identification of the signs of GBV, and techniques that can be used in the community to prevent GBV. Participants will also learn how to help survivors and promote policies that can prevent and reduce the risks for vulnerable individuals.
This partnership reaffirms a goal of combating gender-based violence in Nigeria and the entire African region. The initiative thus engage religious leaders because they have a significant impact on the society and can influence change.
According to Vanguard, The OAIC and UN Women urged all faith leaders to be fully involved in the workshop and take this cause to their followers. Together they work on the task of educating the society and engaging in activities that will help in the formation of a society that is safe for everyone.
