By; PATRICK TITUS, Uyo The fight against all forms of Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) and harmful cultural practices is a fight
By; PATRICK TITUS, Uyo
The fight against all forms of Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) and harmful cultural practices is a fight that must be won to ensure a free society for all, especially the vulnerable group which includes girl child and women.
This is the position of Women At Risk International Foundation (WARIF), a Non-governmental Organization working in Nigeria with support from UN Women through the UN-Leap Project.
In line with its resolve, WARIF, last week in Akwa Ibom State, defiled rainfall to carry out a sensitization walk along major roads in Uyo, the state capital, sharing to various households, fliers that captured the dangers of SGBV and harmful traditional practices to victims as well as in the society.
Led by the Program Lead of WARIF, Adeola Potts-Johnson, the group urged violence victims to speak up and report to relevant authorities in their local communities as there are laws in place to give them succour and punish offenders.
Recall that WARIF in partnership with UN Women through the UN-Leap Project had on May 8, 2025 trained traditional rulers and religious leaders in Uyo on dangers of GBV by which the Uyo Traditional Rulers Council, with His Royal Majesty, Edidem Sylvanus Okon as Paramount Ruler, in turn made a public declaration abolishing all forms of violation against anyone especially women and children in the state.
Potts-Johnson during the sensitization walk told journalists that the exercise, which involved community and youth leaders from the for clans of Uyo, was to solidify the public declaration earlier made by Uyo Traditional Rulers Council as well as drum support to the fight to end menace in the society.
She stated that call free phone numbers were given out for people not limited to victims of SGBV and harmful cultural practices to call in and report related incidents for prompt action .
The Program Lead of WARI, encouraged traditional and faith-based leaders to spearhead the awareness campaigns and advocacy efforts in order to dismantle harmful gender norms and practices in their local communities and churches.
According to her, “This initiative is designed to assess the commitments made by traditional and faith-based leaders in Nigeria to end violence against women and girls (VAWG) and eliminate harmful cultural practices.
“It’s not just only about the declaration we had in May, but to see it documented and implemented. We carried out a dialogue with community leaders, youth leaders across the four clans in Uyo, giving out our fliers to talk about dangers of gender based violence, what it is and numbers they can call in response to these vices if you see them, We want to ensure that people at the grassroots also get that information.” Potts-Johnson added.
The village head of Ikot Ntuen Oku, Eteidung Nsikan Ikpe who represented the Paramount ruler of Uyo, Edidem Sylvanus Okon said they have sensitised the villages, through their village head of the implications of indulging in any form of gender based violence including rape, battery and defilement. He added that sanity had returned to the communities thereafter.
“There is a lot of impact after the declaration. Everybody is now cautious and we always encourage people to report to village heads, family heads, youth leaders or any authority issues of abuse.” He said
On his part, the Youth leader, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Akwa Ibom State chapter, Pastor Mfon Umoh admitted the high level of GBV in the society and urged WARIF to come up with a bye law that they would share to people during outreaches on the dangers of GBV even as he noted that churches are working hard in preaching against GBV during their meetings and conventions.
Speaking, Nkechi Udoh,
The Desk Officer for the UN Women LEAP Project in the State’s Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Nkechi Udoh said GBV remains a capital offense and should not be condoned
She explained that people have been coming out to speak and report cases of GBV following the level of awareness so far adding that more sensitization needed to be done to encourage others to come out.
“People are coming to make reports and even just today somebody came and reported. Victims were actually staying back because of stigma, because of labeling, and because most of the perpetrators make them do some nasty things, take some substance, chance to instill fear.There’s that fear factor in them. So my advice is that, they should be brave enough, not just for themselves but to fight for the others because if they do not speak out, that violence will continue.That person may continue violating him or her and will continue doing it to others.
New Nigerian reports that a cornerstone of the UN LEAP Project is the creation and strengthening of an accountability framework to ensure continued progress in the fight against gender-based violence. As part of the United Nations’ global initiative to eradicate such violence, WARIF has implemented effective sensitization programs in several communities across Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Enugu, and Oyo States.
So far, 140 traditional leaders have been directly engaged, equipping them with critical understanding of the widespread impact of gender-based violence and the pivotal role they play in its prevention.
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