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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
The Association of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ASHWAN) has intensified its campaign against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) by taking advocacy directly to men, particularly traditional, religious and community leaders who can influence attitudes and behaviours within their communities.
Speaking at a one-day training of male champions in Abuja, Patience Iyakwo of the Gifted Support Group of ASHWAN said the organisation deliberately focused the latest campaign on men because previous GBV interventions had largely concentrated on women and girls, leaving insufficient attention on men who constitute a significant proportion of perpetrators of violence.
Iyakwo noted that educating only women about how to avoid or report violence was inadequate if they returned to communities where men had not received similar education.
She said the male-focused training is long overdue, noting that the participants were influential community gatekeepers capable of taking the message to other men and helping to change harmful attitudes towards women and girls.
“We have done a lot of training on GBV for women, but the truth is that most of the perpetrators of GBV are men. Doing this training for only women and they go back and meet these men that are not informed is counterproductive,” she said.
She described the initiative as a major shift in ASHWAN’s approach to GBV advocacy, stressing that bringing only men together for such a conversation was significant because of their influence in their respective communities.
The ASHWAN leader also identified poor reporting mechanisms as one of the major gaps undermining the fight against GBV, despite the existence of relevant policies, laws and institutions.
She said some cases were taken to traditional palaces or handled informally within communities, rather than being referred to appropriate authorities for investigation and prosecution.
According to her, institutions including the police, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and ASHWAN were available to receive GBV complaints, but many cases failed to reach them promptly.
Iyakwo expressed particular concern over delays in reporting rape cases, warning that evidence required for prosecution could be lost by the time cases were eventually referred to the appropriate authorities.
“We know most of the gender violence cases are rape, physical abuse, and so on and so forth, especially for rape. By the time that these cases will be getting to the place that they are supposed to get the right attention, you will see that the evidences that you will be needing to do the case are no longer there,” she said.
She therefore called for a stronger and more effective reporting system that would ensure that survivors receive timely medical, psychosocial and legal support while evidence is still available.
A traditional ruler and community leader, Igwe Ogbuke Charles, said he attended the training because landlords and community leaders often encounter domestic disputes among tenants and need the knowledge to intervene before such conflicts escalate.
Charles, who is the Eze Igbo in Nyanya, Abuja, said that landlords sometimes hear couples threatening to kill or beat each other, but should not wait until such disputes result in serious injury or death.
“I am a landlord. I have several tenants. At night you see people shouting, ‘I will kill you, I will beat you.’ Me as a landlord, I won’t be party where somebody will be killed in my house and police will be involved,” he said.
He urged men to stop underrating women and involve their wives in decisions affecting the family, noting that unresolved misunderstandings and male ego could contribute to domestic violence.
The community leader also advocated equality in the upbringing of boys and girls, warning that allowing boys to develop a sense of superiority could eventually influence their behaviour towards women.
A Muslim community leader in Abuja who identified himself as Abdulahi, said religious leaders must use their influence to educate boys and girls against GBV and sexual abuse.
Abdulahi said the training had broadened his understanding of the issue and would enable him to engage young people within his community.
He attributed some cases of sexual violence to poor parental guidance, inadequate education and financial inducement, urging parents to pay closer attention to their children’s needs.
He stressed that GBV was not restricted to women, noting that boys and men could also be victims of sexual violence. “Religiously, it is a very bad act. No religion permits anyone to do such bad act. No religion, because it is a very, very bad thing. It is a taboo, in short,” he said.
A Development Consultant, Martin-Mary Falana, his presentation attributed the persistence of GBV, rape and incest to poor implementation of existing laws, interference by influential individuals, social stigma and harmful social norms.
The expert said some families of survivors are always reluctant to pursue cases because of stigma, while alleged perpetrators with links to influential persons could sometimes frustrate law enforcement efforts.
He also highlighted the consequences of GBV, including trauma, depression, suicide risks and exposure to HIV, hepatitis, human papillomavirus and other infections.
According to him, traditional, religious and community leaders are “norm setters” whose pronouncements can significantly influence their followers.
The expert therefore urged community leaders to publicly condemn violence, protect survivors and establish firm community positions against perpetrators.
Also speaking, Stella Onah, a media consultant and part of the team organising the programme, called for greater attention to educating boys from an early age that violence against women and girls was unacceptable.
Onah urged the media to sustain public conversations around GBV and support campaigns aimed at changing harmful social norms.
She commended ActionAid Nigeria and the Canadian government for supporting the initiative under the Renewed Women’s Voice Leadership Project, expressing optimism that continued collaboration would strengthen ASHWAN’s efforts to engage men and communities in the fight against gender-based violence.
