Women groups under the of Gender and Constitution Reforms Network (GECORN) in the North West have appealed to the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, to talk to his subjects on the adverse effects of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Kaduna communities.
The group, led on an advocacy visit to the emir’s palace by its Zonal Coordinator, Dr. Lydia Umar, urged the monarch to use his position as father of all to amplify the voices of Nigerian women on GBV.
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Dr. Lydia, who is also the Executive Director, Gender Awareness Trust (GAT), lamented that issues of GBV were on the increase because many families prefer to keep silent for fear of stigmatisation.
“From 2015 to date, about 1,363 students have been abducted from their schools, and once they are abducted you do not know what they go through in the hands of their captives, some of them are turned into sex slaves because they are under people who are holding guns,” she said.
She linked insecurity and violence to the increasing numbers of GBV and stressed the need for tackling the menace to be brought to the front banner.
“The impact is so devastating for women, for families and for communities. Sometimes communities are in conflict and everybody suffers but women suffer in different ways,” she stressed.
The zonal coordinator explained that though Kaduna State has a law that deals with gender-based violence, people do not use it because they do not want to be stigmatised. “Unfortunately, when we hide such incidents, we expose 50 more women and nobody is safe; both boys and girls.”
She stated that the number of out of school children in the North West is a major factor fuelling gender-based violence which puts the region in a very vulnerable position.
Responding, the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli said: “I am a father of girls, all my children but one are girls so I know what it means to fight against gender-based violence in the society.”
The emir said GBV was unacceptable in any society, adding that no religion condoned criminality and dehumanisation of women.
“As leaders in the community, it is our responsibility to be in the forefront in advocating for the empowerment of women and stand firmly against the injustices by some men.”
He assured them of his total support and urged them to call upon him or his council whenever the need arose.
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