The Lifeline Initiative for Widows Empowerment and Economic Development (LIWEED) has sensitised women and adolescents in Tsakanin Bayara community, Bauchi State, on the dangers of gender-based violence (GBV), child abuse and child labour.
The sensitisation programme was aimed at raising awareness among community members on the different forms of violence, how to prevent them and appropriate channels for reporting cases.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of LIWEED, Amb. Dr. Grace Maikudi, welcomed and appreciated participants for attending the programme.
Maikudi urged the participants to pay close attention to the sensitisation and make effective use of the knowledge gained to protect themselves, children and other vulnerable members of the community.
The State Team Lead of LIWEED, Hajia Binta Adamu, who led the sensitisation, explained the various forms of gender-based violence and highlighted some of the factors responsible for its occurrence.
She also discussed people who were likely to perpetrate GBV, its consequences on survivors and communities, as well as the importance of reporting cases.
Adamu further educated the participants on where complaints could be channelled and the need to support survivors of GBV rather than stigmatising or blaming them.
She also explained provisions of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law, including penalties applicable to perpetrators of violence.
The State Team Lead stressed that prompt reporting of GBV cases was essential to ensuring that survivors received appropriate support while perpetrators were brought to justice.
The participants engaged the facilitators with questions during the programme and expressed appreciation to the LIWEED team for organising the awareness campaign.
They also pledged to share the information obtained with other adolescents and women in their communities to promote greater awareness and help prevent gender-based violence, child abuse and labour.