Sterling One Foundation recently held a screening of the movie, “Chatroom”, to raise awareness of the various forms of abuse against women, the cultural traits that fuel them and the resources available to victims as part of its initiatives to reduce instances of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Nigeria and honour UN’s 16 days of activism campaign.
The screening, which was held at Ebonylife Cinemas, also featured an interactive session that allowed viewers to share their thoughts on what could be done to reduce violence against women and girls, drawing insights from various communities.
Annually, the United Nations (UN) marks the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” which kicks off on November 25 and runs until December 10 to get more people to participate in ending the abuse of women in all its forms. The campaign, formally acknowledged in 1999, focuses on raising public awareness and influencing policy to combat discriminatory practices and defend women’s rights in all communities.
I started collecting materials out of frustration – Alexandre Diop
Speaking about the campaign’s significance, Mrs Olapeju Ibekwe, CEO of Sterling One Foundation, emphasised the need to raise the right level of awareness given that many women and girls were unaware they had been abused due to the widespread acceptance of some abusive behaviour.
The First Lady of Ogun State, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun, who was the special guest of honour, spoke on the incidences of sexual and GBV.
“Chatroom” which stars several well-known actors, including Odunlade Adekola, Sambasa Nzeribe, Ibrahim Suleiman, Tony Umez, Omawumi Megbele, and Nengi Adoki, depicts a typical Nigerian neighbourhood where stigmatising abuse victims prevents many cases of abuse, particularly sexual abuse, from being reported.
