16 Days of Activism against GBV: Vicar Hope foundation sets up response desk
Posted by FACTNEWS | 4 years ago | 1,433 times
The Vicar Hope Foundation(VHF) has launched a response desk for cases of Gender-based violence (GBV) to mark the 2019 16-Days of Activism against GBV, themed "Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands Against Rape."
Wife of Abia State Governor and president of the foundation, Deaconess Nkechi Ikpeazu, made the announcement on Tuesday during a press briefing at the foundation center in Umuahia.
She stated that the response desk will create referral pathways for reporting, counseling and managing GBV cases.
She noted that despite the long years of chanting for gender equality, women and girls are still raped and battered, and girls are still mutilated and married off as children.
"Gender-based violence is a phenomenon deeply rooted in gender inequality. Both men and women experience GBV, but with current statistics, it is obvious, that women and girls are the major victims," She said.
According to her, the reason victims of GBV are less likely to report are fear of rejection, victim-blaming and stigmatization.
"The psychological effect of GBV has continually left imprints on the minds of the victim making them live beneath their potentials. Focusing on the theme of the year, rape is rooted in a complex set of beliefs, power, and control that continue to create a social environment, in which sexual violence is pervasive and normalized. It is no longer news that in recent events, the cases of rape has been on the hike.
"It is no longer men raping women; they are now raping girls, even girls of a few months old. 154 countries have laws against sexual harassment, but even where these laws exist, women and girls from all walks of life, still face sexual harassment every day. 15 million adolescent girls worldwide have experienced forced sex at some point in their life and only 1% of these numbers have reached out for professional help.
"The reason women and girls are less likely to report sexual abuses are rejection, victim-blaming, and stigmatization. In recent times, more survivors have tried to speak up, which has put this issue of sexual violence in the spotlight, but the question still remains, have speaking up solved the issue? It is obvious that we need to elevate and take our actions to the next level.
"Today, we are convinced that there is still a lot to be done, beyond the chants, we need to revise our laws, domesticate where necessary and strengthen its enforcement," she said.
She commended the Abia state House of Assembly led by Rt. Hon Chinedum Orji for giving accelarated hearing to the bill which seeks to prohibit violence against any gender. She noted that "efforts to pass the bill have been on snail slow speed until this coalition of civil society organizations (Ministry of Women Affairs, FIDA, NCWS, and other women organizations) came together, joined forces and also met a willing House of Assembly that puts the people first."
The Vice President of the Foundation, Commissioner for Women Affairs, representatives from FIDA and NCWS were present at the press Conference.
The Hotline for the response desk was given as 08055532557
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