Justice and preventive intervention for victims of gender-based violence (3)

Prevention of gender-based violence/ preventive intervention for GBV

While Gender Based Violence continues to be a huge risk that women and girls face daily, there are ways to prevent it. Prevention plays a central role in efforts to eradicate and remove the root causes of gender-based violence. Youth work and human rights activism can make an important contribution to such preventative work. Gender-based and domestic violence can be prevented, and prevention is about changing attitudes, gender roles and stereotypes that make violence against women acceptable, and raising awareness of different types of violence. Preventive actions should be taken within the education system, among professionals working with victims and in cooperation with NGOs, the media and the private sector, religious centres, in order to reach out to the public. Some of these preventive measures/interventions include:

Education and awareness: Raising awareness about GBV through educational campaigns can help change societal attitudes and behaviors. Schools, community organizations, and the media all have a role to play in educating the public about GBV and its consequences. Empowering programmes for women and girls across their lifetime which strengthen the self-esteem and autonomy of those sections of the population which are more likely to be at risk of violence by:

Keeping girls in school
Empowering women economically
Using feminist approaches to tackle gender inequality, including in the home
Providing women and girls with safe spaces.

Early intervention programs: Identifying potential signs of GBV and intervening early can prevent the escalation of violence. Schools, healthcare providers, and community leaders can be trained to recognize and respond to GBV indicators. Some of these can be achieved by; giving women cash support, engaging male allies, including women in decision-making at leadership level, and supporting local women-led and women’s rights organizations etc.
Training programmes for professionals to be able to identify, address and respond to gender-based violence. This might include providing training for teachers, youth workers, social workers, trainers, the police, the justice system, health care providers, etc.
Economic empowerment programmes which strengthen the self-esteem and autonomy of those sections of the population which are more likely to be at risk of violence. Economic dependence often contributes to the vulnerability of GBV victims. Empowering women through vocational training, job opportunities, and access to financial resources can help them become more self-reliant.
Support services: Establishing support services such as crisis hotlines, counseling centers, and shelters for GBV survivors can provide a safety net for victims and help them rebuild their lives.
Legal reforms: Continuously improving and strengthening laws related to GBV is essential. This includes addressing gaps in the legal framework, ensuring enforcement mechanisms are effective, and promoting victim-friendly legal processes.
Community engagement: Engaging communities in discussions about GBV can lead to a cultural shift in attitudes and behaviors. Community leaders, religious institutions, and local organizations can facilitate these conversations.
Work to change attitudes or questioning gender roles and stereotypes that make gender-based violence acceptable in society. This can be done through organising campaigns, training, peer-to-peer education, or by including a gender equality dimension in all aspects of education policies.
Rehabilitation programmes for perpetrators.
Campaigns to raise awareness: Awareness raising campaigns and policies to address gender inequality and gender-based violence can also help to raise the importance of the problem in the public eye. Such campaigns might use traditional means, such as posters, leaflets and websites, but might also utilize social media and flash mobs, for example.
Promote women’s empowerment by educating about non-violence and equality between women and men and also challenge gender stereotypes.

Comprehensive GBV services need to be established quickly in times of crisis to protect women and girls and reduce their exposure to violence, while increasing their chances of recovery and resilience. Humanitarian organizations should bring a feminist approach to programming that takes into account the unequal power balance between genders when designing support and interventions for crisis-affected populations. Yet, despite knowing the scope of the problem, the serious and at times fatal effects of GBV, and that we can prevent and respond to it, GBV is still not prioritized with enough urgency during humanitarian responses.

What the government and individuals have done to curb, stop and preclude GBV

The launch of a safe space in Kurudu in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as one of the empowerment programmes for victims and survivors of gender-based violence is commendable. In addition, the Governor of Borno State (Babagana Zulum) supported women empowerment programmes and the reconstruction of the school where Chibok girls were kidnapped. Also, 34 States have domesticated the Child Rights Act and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) targeted areas of intervention to improve the gender-based violence policy environment at national and state levels. The fund works with a variety of partners to provide survivors with medical, reproductive health services and/or psychosocial care as part of our commitment to rehabilitate women and girls who have been abused and to help them overcome their ordeal.

Conclusion

According to findings, GBV is a form of gender discrimination that stems from unequal power relations between men and women, which prevents women from enjoying rights and freedoms on an equal footing with men. It was discovered that Nigerian women have faced discrimination in various economic areas, particularly in the political and social realms, for a long time. They face gender-based violence in the form of family violence, rape, physical assault, abusive language, withholding food, sex slavery, and early child marriage as they fight for basic human rights. In addition, according to the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), over 31% of women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence before the age of fifteen. Age, job, educational attainment, watching a mother being beaten as a child, family type, duration of union, and participation in household decision-making are all factors that have been identified as contributing to gender-based violence,

According to research, sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies (which may also be accompanied by health complications), unsafe abortions, physical injuries, immediate psychological reactions such as shock, shame, guilt, and anger; and long-term psychological outcomes such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation, lack of sexual pleasure, and fears are among the medical or health effects of gender-based violence. Mental instability, gynecological issues, miscarriage, and lasting disability are some of the other health impacts. Gender-based violence has a negative impact not only on women and their reproductive health but also on Nigeria’s economy and progress.

Suggestions

It is unacceptable to continue to treat gender-based violence as “a family issue.” However, it is strongly advised that members of the community who are being abused should report such cases or incidents to the police. They should move away from the cultural inhibitions that treat crime as simple errors to be wished away or buried under the façade of religion and faith. Also, civil society organisations should mount pressure on the Houses of the Assembly of the States that are yet to domesticate the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act to do so immediately, as a first step towards arresting the menace that is fast growing into a pandemic. The media too must be involved in the effort to stem this monstrous tide. Information and education are keys to the eradication of gender-based violence and this is best handled by the media, which has a greater reach to the people. Then also is the need for cultural re-orientation, to get away from the negative tags that we have wrongly attached to the female gender. The disparity created by culture and faith has to be abolished through deliberate efforts. Part of the new strategy to win this war would be to/ introduce teachings on the illegality and dangers of gender-based violence in the curriculum of the schools, starting from secondary schools up to the higher institutions. This is necessary because early education is vital to the consciousness of the human being.

Also, it is important for parents and women to uphold the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act as this would further educate them on the tenets of human rights and safeguard them from all types of abuses. The provisions of the law are laudable and commendable. However, it is suggested that the government updates the law in line with emerging trends and occurrences, embark upon a more aggressive implementation of the provisions of the law and engage wider publicity and education of all stakeholders on their rights and the need to guard against domestic violence. Together, we will eradicate the monster of gender-based violence. Thank you.

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