GBV: Speakers at Headfort Foundation Rights Advocacy urge survivors of GBV to speak out

Speakers and stakeholders at the Headfort Foundation for Justice workshop to educate girls about their rights after sexual violence have called on the survivals of Gender Based Violence (GBV) and sexual abuse to demonstrate the moral courage to speak out.

They made the call in Abeokuta on Saturday during the workshop titled: “My Rights, My Freedom: Educating Girls About Rights After Sexual Violence.”

The Executive Director of Headfort Foundation for Justice, Mrs Oluyemi Orija, told newsmen that the workshop was to educate young girls about their rights after they have been victims of sexual violence (GBV).

“This is very essential because we are lawyers and we go to court and see many of these cases.

“Majority of these cases are struck out because the victims are not coming out.

“We thought that it is important for us to educate girls on their roles to ensure that justice is actually served because justice will only be served when the courts get to hear from both sides- the perpetrators and the victims themselves,” Orija said.

According to her, it is not enough to report at the Police Station alone, the victims need to come to the court so that the court would listen to both sides, the perpetrators and the victims.

She said that the 16 days of Activism was a time to advocate for the eradication of GBV, adding that it is strategic to the work of Headfort foundation.

She noted that that besides the loudness of the advocacy during the 16 days of Activism, the foundation continues its advocacy in and out of season because the situation continued unabated.

Also speaking, Prof. Olubunmi Ashimolowo, Executive Director, Gender Development Initiatives, decried the alarming nature of GBV in the society.

Ashimolowo noted that what is more worrisome was that victims of GBV were not speaking out.

“So currently, we are trying to collect the data in our organisation; we are collecting the data. we want the people to come out and report, “Ashimolowo said.

She listed the challenges in advocating for victims of GBV as the culture of silence and financial challenge to house the victims who may be thrown out of their homes if they speak out.

“We don’t have adequate homes for the survivors; the awareness is not there, and sometimes we have traditional leaders compromise by asking us to set down our investigations.

“We want the government to budget more funds; we have the judiciary to contend with because of delays in judgement,” Ashimolowo said.

She called on philanthropists and the government to do more to come to the help of victims of Gender Based Violence.

The Keynote Speaker at the event, Mrs Taiwo Olusesi, Chairperson, FIDA, Ogun State Branch, noted that more persons of the male gender should have been invited to the event because many of them do not know or understand the impact of their actions.

Olusesi spoke on the topic: “Empowering Survivors Pathways to Justice and Healing in Cases of Sexual Violence.”

She said that it was important to have a deep understanding of the reality of sexual abuse.

She said 90 per cent of the persons seated at the event might have been abused one form or the other without actually knowing.

She defined sexual abuse as a great violation of human right that transcends all cultures, socio economic backgrounds and ethnicities.

“It is a societal issue that affects all, tarnishing the fabric of the entire community leaving the victims with mental health challenges, leading to post traumatic stress disorders, psychosis, eating disorders, substance abuse, suicide attempts,and inappropriate sexual behaviours,

“Some people have been so sexually abused that they cannot do without sex; they go all out looking for people to sleep with them.

“Another issue is that of disclosure, people don’t talk because of stigmatisation and stereotypes.

“At the level of the informal disclosure, your mummy will say keep quiet. The next door neighbour must not know about what one is going through.

“They do this without showing concern for the child’s mental health, Olusesi said.

She noted that statistics have shown that many people fail to disclose abuse until they are approached.

She added that Research has also shown that older children tend to disclose more of sexual abuse than younger ones.

“The abusers tend to put up some characteristics to lure the individuals,- bribery and threats.

“There are also issues of victim isolation.

“We need to understand the abuse.

“We have more victims than the innocent. It is very important that we empower survivals, and give them emotional support.

“The after effect is drug abuse.

“There must be a legal framework and advocacy. Psychological support is very important. We must create safe spaces for healing for victims who are fleeing.

“Empowering survivals of sexual abuse is a collective responsibility, it is a journey filled with challenges and also should create opportunities for healing and justice.

“There should be collaboration with people of various backgrounds to build a supportive framework where survivors can thrive and empowered to transform their lives,” Olusesi added.

Two panel sessions were held at the workshop to buttress the impact of mental health support for survivors of sexual abuse.

The second panel discussion harped on the need for victims to speak out irrespective of the person involved in the act.

Newsmen reports that the workshop, which held at the NBA Centre, Leme, Abeokuta, was highly successful with the huge turnout of participants and quality resource persons.