Prevention of SGBV: CEWHIN Charges Traditional And Religious Leaders To Positively Influence Their Followers
By Abisola Ariwodola,
On prevention of sexual and gender based violence, Center for Women’s Health and Information CEWHIN has charged traditional and religious leaders to positively influence their followers who believes that their religious views matters as their congregants.
This was disclosed at the opening programme of a three day consultative forum on prevention of violence against Women and Girls, VAWG in Osun state, held at Aenon Suites Conference hall, Osogbo.
The discuss , sponsored by Ford Foundation was aimed at empowering faith and community based leaders, and youths to take the lead in preventing gender based violence against women and girls, by leveraging on influence of the faith based leaders and partnership in fostering prevention within traditional and religious structure to achieve a secure equitable environment for community members, had its participants drawn from the various religious clusters in Osun state.
In her lecture, Dr Habibat Oladosu Uthman of the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies, University of Ibadan stated that it is time for religious leaders to start talking about sexual and gender based violence during their sermons, since most worshippers in their religious organisation, hold their views in high esteem.
Highlighting the barriers to prevention as non-engagement in legal accountability, clerics shielding perpetrators ( especially high status men), poor linkage with CSOs or social welfare ministry, lack of coordinated religious declaration on VAWG, competition between denominations/sects and limited inclusion of women in decision making boards., she emphasised that it is mandatory for the religious leaders to understand what gender based violence is, as this will help them to handle any case effectively, because some of the time, cultural orientation clouds some of their actions, and ending silence on violence will greatly improve prevention of GBV.
Dr Habibat maintained that proactive measures such as sex education, religious Leaders co-signing public declarations with traditional rulers, integration of anti VAWG sermons into services, Friday mosque and Sunday church awareness sessions, interfaith coalitions to harmonize messaging, engagement of women fellowships and youth ministries, and use of radio and local language preaching to confront silence should be adopted as protection tool in preventing gender based violence against women and girls in Osun state.
She stated that barriers of socialisation that are not working needs to be broken over the pandemic of violence perpetrated against women and girls, adding that family is the bedrock of society, and if it collapsed, the society will also collapse.
She urged women, as custodian of culture to stop being an enabler of GBV, highlighting that silencing of the girl child from talking about sexual and gender based violence is dangerous, while she called on fathers to maintain good role model status, and she asked mothers to “allow the children to talk, give them the freedom of expression and believe them.”
In his remarks, Dr Oluropo Ayeni, Director of Community Advancement Initiative for Self Reliance, CAI4SR opined that by engaging the traditional and religious institutions, the consultative forum will build sustainable culturally sensitive solutions with action plans that is time framed with monitoring mechanism to enhance prevention of gender based violence against women and girls in Osun state.
He pointed out that the initiative align with the national and global efforts to end violence against women and girls, with more emphasis on prevention over reaction, and he lauded the media for increased reportage on sexual and gender based violence.
He added that the action plan will help people in the society, in getting better perspectives in using prevention tools in ending GBV and Women and Girls, adding that this will reduce the prevalent rate, with the help of behavioural change communication.
Earlier in her introduction, the Executive Director CEWHIN, Mrs Atinuke Odukoya stated that the objective of the consultative forum was to ensure that prevention strategies, mechanisms and messages are going out to prevent issues of sexual and gender based violence against women and girls.
She opined that ongoing activities shows increased reportage and awareness, as well as occurrences related to abuse, hence the project aiming for prevention by involving the core stakeholders such as religious leaders.
She added that engaging leaders of religious institutions, is also for them to stop sweeping perpetrators act against victims under the carpet, and encouraged them to focus on prevention, being fair and helping victims to get justice.
Frowning at the alarming rate of sexual and gender based violence in Osun, Mrs Odukoya added that there is also high rate of incest in the state, and this is worrisome, “we can’t keep quiet against this vicious circle, which is why everyone must partner, to put to an end to it”, she stated.
Within family spaces, an average parents would rather tell their children to go to mosque or church than talk fully with them, that is why it is important to engage key players who shapes norms and attitude, for us to get practical tangible outcomes, even with the use of scriptures.