By Bianca Iboma-Emefu
Extended Hands Foundation, in collaboration with Ford Foundation, have identified the urgent need to train gender-based violence (prevention) champions who will continue to educate and train other students in the fight against gender-based violence in society.
The organizations hosted inter-school debate competition among six secondary schools across Lagos State recently, with the theme, “A world without gender-based violence,” to further address the issue of gender-based violence.
This following the success of the previous awareness and advocacy to schools, which made tremendous impact in the previous phases of the project, based on the project evaluation and demands made by different schools.
The convener of the initiative, Nollywood actress and producer, Stephanie Linus, said the aim was to creatively engage the younger generation in vital conversations on gender-based violence.
Linus said the inter-school debate competition was a response to the impressive work of change agents across secondary schools in Nigeria, especially secondary schools that are project partners.
She added that they got support from their partner, Ford Foundation, to advocate the elimination of the barriers holding girls, using various platforms and channels, tracking progress using designed monitoring technologies, building coalitions and mobilising of relevant stakeholders and groups in strengthening institutions to derive positive outcome and influence policies that could provide an opportunity for the students, raise awareness, explore innovative solutions to create a world where everyone can live free from violence and discrimination.
“We aim to unite and guide Nigerian students on the path to become agents of transformation through the power of knowledge sharing,” she said.
She advised the participants, especially the students, to report any attempt by anybody to harass them, adding that anyone whose conversation makes them uncomfortable should be reported to the school counsellor or parents/guardians.
Linus offered some tips to the students and, among other things, made them aware of the existence of sexual abuse. She advised them to learn to recognise strange behaviour in the opposite sex, move in groups whenever possible, avoid dark or lonely places with the opposite sex, avoid others’ bedrooms and bathrooms. She also advised them to be careful in a suspicious environment of what they are given to eat or drink.
The participants were also advised to always dress properly and learn to cry out if attacked, no matter the person involved, and to report to appropriate authorities, school counsellor, parent/guardian, teachers and religious leaders, etc., any unseemly behaviour towards them, stressing that they should say something when they see something.
Highlights of the event included the panel of distinguished social entrepreneurs and subject-matter experts who selected the winners of the debate competition after reviewing all the presentations.
The representatives of the six schools, Molan High School, New Edition School, Great Lily College, Ireti Senior Grammar School, Victoria Island Senior Secondary School and Gbara Community Senior Secondary School, participated in the keenly contested debate, with Molan High School, Ikotun, Lagos, emerging winner.
Some representatives of the schools were made ambassadors to continue championing the cause in their respective schools and communities.
The foundation is committed to investing in the development of Nigerian society by equipping youths with the right capacity and solutions to the sustainable development goals.