Inter-faith Dialogue Forum for Peace (IDFP) has tasked religious and community leaders on measures to tackle the menace of gender-based-violence (GBV) in Bauchi State.
Speaking yesterday on the sensitisation, the programme and fundraising development officer of IDFP, Ms Faith Johnny, said that the purpose was to develop a compendium for faith-based actors on the prevention of GBV.
“What we are expecting from this engagement is to have a comprehensive compendium of faith-based actors. This will now serve as a tool for other organisations to use in their further engagement in GBV issues,” she said.
Johnny urged both parents and guardians to closely watch their children and wards, talk to them, ask them what they are going through saying, such would serve as a variable tool in ending GBV.
Also, one of the community leaders, Malam Aminu Muhammad said this kind of sensitisation of the faith-based actors both Muslims and Christians would go a long way in addressing GBV in Bauchi State.
“This is to make an advocacy to them as regards to Gender Based Violence because it’s something that is happening and so rampant in the state.
“There are several cases and in order to tackle it, you have to involve the religious and the community leaders because they are the grassroot members that can influence some of the members of the public.
“We are having problems of conspiracy of silence whereby the victims or their parents or relations will not like to open up and without opening up, you won’t be able to address the issues completely.
“Sometimes, stigmatisation is another factor as to why they don’t want to open up and that is why we are making this advocacy and we want to expand it to the grassroots,” he said.
On his part, the director of Christian Affairs in Bauchi, Pastor Sunday Simon, “This programme came at the right time and with the right people and by engaging these religious and community leaders, it will also help the programme to reach the grassroots.
“The reason for the programme is to get the acceptance of these region’s people and also the leaders so that the messages will go to the grassroots because before, when a programme of this nature comes, it will just die without achieving its goals because it didn’t include these people.
“IDFP is an organisation that has national and international outreach. It’s an organisation that has come to stay because it deals with all the faiths in the country,” he said.
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