Follow Us on Google
From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
A Christian faith-based organisation, the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), has joined the campaign to eliminate violence against women and girls which, they observed, is on the rise across communities and urban settings in Nigeria.
The Christian body confirmed that cases of violence against women and girls worsened during the national lockdown last year, apparently, due to economic, cultural and other societal challenges, hence the need for collective effort to tackle the challenge.
The Council said it will mobilise for mass street rallies, distribution of fliers and stickers with messages, and also prayer to see an end to violence against children. In addition to that, meet with significant political and government figures who can initiate positive changes.
CCN President Most Rev Benebo Fubara-Manuel told reporters at a press conference in Abuja, on Wednesday, that CCN has secured the support and collaboration of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) through its Spotlight Initiative to champion the campaign that would herald an end to violence against women.
He disclosed that the current phase of the campaign project would take place in Sokoto, Adamawa, Lagos, Ebonyi, FCT and Cross River States as focal states.
He explained: ‘We have kicked off a week of sensitisation in the FCT that will run till July 18th, 2021. We have realised that violence against women and girls is not what churches or faith-based organisations alone can solve, hence the need for multilateral efforts and initiatives and every form of support is a move in the right direction.
‘Such collaborations would assist many non-religious persons to discern clearly how they have been trapped in the same declining culture and do all that they can to stop violence against women and girls.
‘We shall expose all forms of violence against women and girls, and re-examine the existing policies of all the bodies to which we belong and the policies of our nation with a view to discerning whether or not these policies perpetuate violence against children in any form. And we commit to ending any such evil policy we discern.’
CCN President said they are not convinced that the government is sufficiently tackling the challenges of violence against women and girls. ‘Clearly, our country is not winning in this battle. We have all it takes to have a secured country and to end all forms of violence especially against women and girls.’
He, thus, alleged that religious systems had worsened the plight of women and girls while claiming to be the agents of liberation. ‘We regret all these and set ourselves on the path of change. We commit, therefore, to directly, personally and communally opposing all systems of marginalisation that we have
inherited or set up or that we are presently designing or setting up.
‘We also commit to promoting practices and establishing institutions that would allow women and girls to flourish in all ways, notably, spiritually, physically, sexually, emotionally, and psychologically.’
He maintained that the week of enlightenment requires fresh and aggressive approaches to raising awareness on ending violence against women and girls because if the collaboration between CCN and UNICEF must be worth it, it must reach the grassroots effectively.
‘We shall collectively seek to reject the abuse of women and girls of all forms, including women’s forced domestication, discrimination in religious, political and social settings, girl child neglect, exploitation, abuse, and trafficking, and all shades and colours of violence against women and girls, be it physical, emotional, sexual, or psychological,’ he said.
