Lagos launches 16-day fight against sexual, gender based violence

•    Sets to train 1,500 pupils on sex education
LAGOS State government through the State’s Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) is partnering with Access Bank to commemorate 16 days of activism to end all forms of violence against women and children.

According to the state government, over 1,500 children drawn from both public and private schools in the state will receive age appropriate sex education, among others during the period.
DSVRT Coordinator, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, who disclosed this on Sunday in a statement, said the team, in partnership with the Financial Control and Strategy Group of Access Bank, would be embarking on series of events aimed at educating and equipping the public with necessary information to increase people’s awareness on sexual and gender based violence crimes as well as practical steps to rid the society of the menace.
Vivour-Adeniyi said, as part of the enlightenment programmes, there would be a workshop with the theme: “Safeguarding The Rights For A Child,” while a Symposium tagged “It’s On You And I To End Violence Against Women And Children,” would also take place.

According to the DSVRT coordinator, the workshop will majorly focus on children within the region of primary 3 and 6, saying that this became imperative in view of the recent statistics, which revealed that children within this age range were most vulnerable as regards falling prey to sex predators.

Vivour-Adeniyi said over the 1,500 children would be drawn from both public and private schools in Mainland, Eti- Osa and Apapa axis of the state and would be given age appropriate sex education, tips on being sensitive about their body parts, and also a critical education on how to detect and avoid the process of grooming which is a process most predators adopt.

“It is our utmost desire that after the program, children would be better informed on their rights, red flags to look out for, and relevant self defence tips. They would also receive relevant materials and contact numbers to call to report any child abuse case,” the DSVRT coordinator said.

She also disclosed that the symposium tagged “It’s On You And I To End Violence Against Women  And Children,” would be held at Access Bank Head Office, Victoria Island, adding that the event would witness the gathering of relevant stakeholders.

The stakeholders, according to her, include traditional rulers, religious clerics, students, counsellors, legal practitioners, Civil Society Organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations, health practitioners, academicians, school administrators, social workers, police officers, among others.

“The aim of attracting such a richly diverse group of participants is to ensure that there is a benefit of a variety of perspectives and solutions being brought to the table as regards addressing this menace in our society.

“We are confident that after these events, there would be an increased level of awareness on how to prevent the occurrence of these crimes, steps to take to report and renewed commitment from members of the society on their role in ridding this menace out of our society,” Vivour-Adeniyi said.

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