Conventional and religion leaders from throughout West Africa, authorities officers, and representatives from worldwide organisations have gathered in Abuja for the inaugural Annual Excessive-Stage GBV Prevention Summit.
In Africa, many cases of GBV are justified underneath tradition and custom. Dangerous gender norms and practices rooted in conventional customs and spiritual misconceptions perpetuate violence towards girls and ladies.
It’s believed that the authority and platforms of conventional and spiritual leaders will be instrumental in addressing the foundation causes of GBV, equivalent to patriarchy and gender stereotypes, by mobilizing communities in the direction of change. Recognizing this, UN Ladies, with help from the Ford Basis, organized a GBV prevention summit to take inventory of achievements made by leaders of their respective jurisdictions and facilitate an area for sharing vital and galvanizing insights.
In her opening remarks, the UN Ladies Consultant to Nigeria & ECOWAS, Ms. Beatrice Eyong expressed her profound appreciation to the Ford Basis for his or her unwavering partnership on the Conventional and Cultural Leaders for Ending GBV by Advancing Advocacy, Coverage, and Social Norms Change in Nigeria and West Africa (LEAP) program.
She famous that this initiative acknowledges the vital position of conventional and spiritual leaders in difficult dangerous social norms perpetuating GBV, significantly violence towards girls and ladies.
She emphasised the significance of difficult societal norms that condone violence, noting Africa’s wealthy cultural heritage whereas acknowledging the crucial to confront practices that deny human rights and dignity. Ms. Eyong additionally highlighted the pervasive nature of GBV, stating that “GBV is not only towards our girls and ladies, it’s towards our financial progress, stability, and our emergence to grow to be a continent that has all it takes to be nice and affluent.”
Additionally talking on the occasion was His eminence, Alhaji (Dr) Muhammad Sa’advert Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto and President Basic, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic affairs beckoned the normal and spiritual rulers to work hand in hand to finish all dangerous practices towards girls and ladies, including that: “We’re 100% behind you on this struggle.”
Echoing his dedication, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni Of Ife, urged the normal rulers to make sure that the outcomes of the summit are applied of their varied communities.
Ford Basis President, Mr. Darren Walker, who was additionally current on the summit, expressed the necessity to proceed investing within the prevention of GBV to create a extra equitable society for girls and ladies in Nigeria. Mr. Walker was additionally embellished as a He4She for his dedication to advancing gender equality and girls’s empowerment in Nigeria and West Africa.
Regardless of some progress, disparities persist, with West Africa grappling with excessive charges of kid marriage and feminine genital mutilation. There’s due to this fact a necessity for radical shifts in mindsets to finish violence towards girls and ladies, which will be achieved via dialogue and information sharing amongst distinguished leaders from Nigeria, Niger, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ghana.
The summit marks a vital second within the ongoing efforts to fight GBV in Nigeria and throughout West Africa. It builds upon the momentum generated by initiatives just like the Highlight Initiative and the LEAP challenge, specializing in enhancing conventional leaders’ expertise and partnerships to forestall and shift dangerous social norms and practices.
