By Ozumi Abdul

A Consortium for combating GBV such as
Adolescent Health and Information Projects (AHIP) Women and Children Advocacy Network (WOCAN) Coalition Against Rape and Violence (CARAV) and Isa Wali (IWEI) on Tuesday organized a one-day sensitization workshop to educate participants on the dangers of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Kano state.

The projects which had its theme as “Pathways To Combating GBV In Kano State : Integrated Approaches To Strengthening Communities’ Resilience had in attendance participants drawn from various strata of the state , such as secondary school students, teachers, principals, civil society organizations, the media and other key relevant stakeholders.

While speaking, the Executive Director of Women and Children Advocacy Worker (WCAW), Hajiya Suwaiba Adamu Salihu stated that the major purpose for organizing the workshop is to enlighten the people of Kano state on the menace of GBV, and to break the culture of violence on GBV related issues,adding that it is imperative for victims of GBV to report to the relevant authorities so that justice can be administered.

She expressed satisfaction that the six month project of her organization that is marking its end today has impacted much on several participants, noting that several students have been giving testimonies of how the training has given them the capacities and self-esteem, as well as the community members.

She regretted that the participants were hitherto bereft of culture of reporting GBV cases because of fairs of stigmatization and stereotypes.

“Previously we don’t have the culture of reporting GBV cases, we have culture of covering cases to ourselves, because we don’t want our images to be tarnished, we don’t want this, we don’t want that, and the perpetrators will continue”.

She added that in most cases the perpetrators escape justice, which usually gives rooms to the increase of the GBV case.

Hajiya Suwaiba was upbeat that the training has now given the participants the capacity to report the cases and ensure justice is done to whoever is found guilty.

She also added that domestic violence in most cases are always left aside in the GBV issues, while the major concentration is usually on rape.

” When we say GBV, we don’t mean rape alone, no. We don’t mean drug abuse alone, we mean domestic violence, stigmatization, harassment, threats, stigmatizing between your children, such as male and female,so much social vices”.

She noted that domestic violence is unislamic, but cultural even though Islam enjoins women to be subservient to their husbands.

She said the unislamic culture of domestic violence has plunged many women into depression, frustration and ended up psychiatric homes, promising that culture of domestic violence will be broken.