By Justina Auta
Oxfam Nigeria, an international NGO, on Friday, said that empowering women to be financially and economically independent, is critical towards ending Sexual, Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in Nigeria.
Ms. Helen Akinyemi, Oxfam’s Program Manager on Gender Justice said this during a community based assembly of rural women in Abuja in partnership with Nigeria Women Economic Development (NigWED ) project to address SGBV.
Akinyemi, noted that poor economic status and financial dependence of women had further exposed them to violence and rendered them more vulnerable to abuse.
“And most of the issues discussed, you will realise that most of the contributory factors of GBV lies in the economic development of women.
“We want them to know what to engage in that will generate income and help them to participate actively in the productive sector.
“All these will help to resolve gender issues, because when you solve one, you are solving the other. They are interconnected,” she said.
According to her, Oxfam had carried out several sensitisation and advocacy exercise to end all forms of violence against women, children, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and other vulnerable groups.
“The feedback has been so encouraging that is why we are here again and we were asked to bring it down to the women in rural community level.
“Because these are the people that are most affected and they don’t have the necessary information, sensitisation and their consciousness are not being raised.
“It is something that they too can go back to their communities, as most of the attendees here are women leaders and have group of women that they work with.
“So they will take it back to these groups, as well as the communities and households to sensitise them and achieve the change that we are looking for in ending GBV,” she said.
According to her, the attendees were also educated on where, when and how to seek help when faced with violence or witness any.
She said: “There are safe houses in Nigeria, but most of these women don’t know. So this is part of the reasons we are here to pass the information across.”
Mr. Lugard Okonobo, Director General, NigWED project, said the meeting was to sensistise women on how to be financially independent, sustain their businesses and how to make it thrive amidst economic violence.
“Our organisation focus is to addressing economic violence because we have issues of women are subjected to double taxation, some of them there goods are seized at the markets place.
“Some don’t know how to check their taxes, some are married and their husbands are capitalizing on their ingenuity and education level to suppress them by taking over their economy.
“For those who are subjected to SGBV, we try to provide some economic empowerment programmes to sustain them,” he said.
He said NigWED with the support of other partners, had empowered over 500 women technical support, capacity building, infrastructure, amongst others to support their business.
Responding to issues raised by some of the SGBV survivors, the DG urged the women to utilise the opportunities given to be financially independent, generate sustainable business for them.
“Some facing abuse, we have to sit down to look critically and find out the causes because for every effect and reaction, there is a cause.
“These things are subject to communication, discussion, dialogue. And with understanding, there will be a solution,” he said.
Mrs. Blessing Airujuwan, a survivor, said the meeting with other persons and sharing her experience has helped in addressing depression caused by violence and neglect in her marriage.
Mrs. Airujuwan, therefore, encouraged other women facing any form of abuse and violence to immediately seek help to enable them survive and regain their sanity.
Similarly, a widowed mother of two, Mrs. Rebecca Amana, stressed the need for women to be financially independent to reduce some of the factors that exposes them to GBV.
Mrs. Amana, therefore commended the organisers for their support and providing a platform for the women to share their stories, seek help and get supports to reduce the burden they carry.
