Min of Women Affairs, Imo First Lady urge President Generals to checkmate GBV at grassroots

ThankGod Emeh…

President Generals of Orlu, Owerri and Okigwe geopolitical zones of Imo state have been charged by the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, the office of Imo First Lady Chief, Dr Chioma Uzodimma in collaboration with UN Women to take the campaign against Gender Based Violence (GBV) and other harmful cultural practices to their communities.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr. Godson Okeoma who represented the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Lady Nkechinyere Ugwu gave the charge at a 3-Day High Level Zonal Training For President Generals on the Prevention of harmful practices and Gender Based Violence held in Owerri.

Speaking on the theme “Preventing Gender Based Violence: empowering community leaders in Imo State”, Okeoma stressed the need to have a database to checkmate the evil and harmful practices at the grassroots.

“The need for you at the grassroots to know about the dangers of Gender Based Violence is fundamental in ensuring a lasting fight. Let us spread the campaign to the grassroots levels”.

“We need to capture the grassroots. We need to get every household to be part of arresting the ugly monster called Gender Based Violence and harmful practices against persons”.

“This GBV and others are all practices against human such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), widowhood practices”

He urged the participants to bring to bear their knowledge and understanding from the training to arrest the ugly forms, causes, myths and facts of GBV, while pointing out the human rights implications as well as its sociocultural, psychological, health and economic consequences.

The Permanent Secretary however commended Imo First Lady and the United Nation’s Women for their sustained interventions to eradicate the evil narratives.

The Director of Women Affairs in the Ministry, Dr. Blessing Azubuike noted that the essence of the programme was to roundly sensitize and equip the PGs who are at the centre of community activities mentally and otherwise to carry out the tasks with the Royal Fathers at the local levels, adding that men ought to have the knowledge of GBV and what need to be done.

“We found them really strategic in curbing and preventing these gender based violence ravaging our communities in recent times.

“We looked at the respective frameworks of UN Women which talks about developing relationship skills, strengthening communication in the families among others.

She harped that GBV would be gone when the teachings, and action plans of the training are implemented, hence urged the President Generals to act accordingly as they stand to train others.

“If we do some of those strategies of this training, we are going to experience different and positive narratives at the grassroots.

“We are training them to go back to the communities and hand down the same information to their community members to escalate the fight”

The President Generals in their speeches after getting the comprehensive Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law, lauded the First Lady of the state, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, and all stakeholders for their dogged efforts in collaborating with the UN women to hold the high powered training in the state.

The Resource Person, Mr. Benjamin Mbakwem urged the President Generals to ensure that the learning gotten from the training are translated in their actions that will cause the change of narrative.