Adebayo Adenrele
…urges Women to speak up against domestic violence, physical assault, others
A non-government organization, Disability Not A Barrier Initiate (DINABI) has called on the Ekiti State Government to include Persons living with disabilities (PWDs) into Gender Based Violence Management Committee, in order to ensure adequate inclusion of PWDs in government.
The Director of the organization, Olajide Benjamin made the call on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti state capital at the closing ceremony of a “Two-Day Training Workshop for Women and Girls with Disability on cummunity mobilization against Gender Based Violence”, sponsored by Disability Rights Fund.
Speaking with journalists, Olajide hailed Ekiti state for being one of the sub-nationals that caters for the needs of PWDs, while also calling for adequate inclusion in governance.
He said, “We are having a two-day workshop for women and girls with disabilities on community mobilization against GBV.
“The rate at which society, family members, various stakeholders within the society perpetrate sexual violence against women and girls with disabilities is alarming.
“We felt that it’s important that some of these girls and women understand what we meant by gender based violence and how to report them in order to access support and justice.
“When you are violated in any form, you don’t need to keep quiet, you need to speak up instead of brooding at home which might lead to depression.
“They need to come out so that they can be able to receive medical, phycho-social and financial support as the case may be.
“Ekiti is one of the best states in Nigeria performing well when it comes to the issue of handling GBV cases because of naming and shaming aspect of it.
“We are expecting that government will include PWDs into the GBV management committee in Ekiti state so as to ensure adequate inclusion of PWDs and its very key in what we are doing”.
While urging women not to brood assaults, physical violence or any form of domestic alterations, he charged them to report issues to Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in order to get justice.
Speaking with one of the participants, Oluwatoyin Ibitoye hailed Governor Biodun Oyebanji for recognizing PWDs in his administration.
However, while enjoining the state government to intensify more efforts in catering for the welfare of PWDs and Women in the state, she called for the orientation of perpetrators of GBV in order to put an end to the act.
Also, a student of Government Special School for the Blind, Ikere-Ekiti, Ayomide Bankole lauded DINABI for bringing up such initiative and called on the state government to organize programmes of its kind in order to sensitive more people in Ekiti.