WARIF, US To Combat Sexual Violence In Lagos

The Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF), in partnership with the United State consulate, has extended its WARIF Educational School Programme (WESP) initiative to encompass three senior secondary schools in Lagos state.

The primary objective of the WESP is aimed at combating cases of rape and sexual violence while empowering young girls in secondary schools. It is to equip female adolescents in senior secondary schools with the necessary knowledge and tools to identify, prevent, and respond appropriately to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).

This innovative curriculum, specially designed and implemented by WARIF, provides adolescent girls with insights into recognizing signs of sexual assault and rape, self-protection strategies, and measures to prevent such occurrences.

WARIF, in a press statement, made available to LEADERSHIP, disclosed that the selected schools are New Era Girls, Surulere; Itolo Senior Secondary School, Surulere; and Surulere Girls Secondary School, approved for project implementation.

It said that the project’s key activities included stakeholder engagement, baseline surveys, in-class training sessions reaching 150 girls, peer-to-peer activities, parent-teacher forums, and comprehensive closeout activities.

“The in-class sessions, conducted over four weeks in each participating school, employed the structured WESP curriculum, divided into four modules: My Body and I, what is Abuse, Unmasking the Abuser, and Steps to Reporting Abuse. The peer-to-peer activities will run from February to December 2024 across all participating schools,” it further explained.