A non-governmental organization, Inclusive Friends Association has set up an inter-agencies task force consisting government’s ministries, agencies, security outfits, religion and non-governmental organizations to address the issues and incidences associated with gender based-violence against girls and women with disabilities.
The Executive Director of the association and convener of Amplifying Voice Project, Mrs. Grace Jerry, said that the aim is to address the prevalence incidences of gender based-violence particularly against the girls and women with disabilities in Oyo State.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the capacity training organized for the 20 advocates at Kakanfo Inn, Ring Road, Ibadan on Tuesday, the convener, disclosed that setting up of the task force is necessary to create a synergy among all stakeholders including the young advocates to combat the incidences of gender based-violence.
“The Amplifying Voices Project is simply to strengthen the capacity of young persons with and without disabilities as leaders and advocates to spotlight and innovatively address issues and incidences around gender and disability based violence against women and girls with disabilities.
“We have been working with 20, carefully selected young advocates with and without disability, taking them through capacity strengthening on how they can sustain advocacy around issues of gender based-violence affecting women and girls with disabilities and to also constitute the inter-agency task force.
“The Inter-agency task force are members of ministries, departments, agencies and various organizations that work around issues on eliminating all forms of gender based-violence and to also create a synergy between the task force and these young advocates so that together they all work in one to combat these incidents.
“Task force members are key stakeholders that are already working to mitigate these issues; for instance the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Women Affairs, the International Federation of Women Lawyers, the Ministry of Health, the police and other security agencies, people who are already working in this area. Why we need them to work closely with these advocates is because we want a quick response, we want quick intervention. These advocates will be able to make quick referrals to these inter-agencies task force so that intervention can be made quickly.”
The Chairperson of the task force, Mrs. Adenike Ibitara, expressed the readiness of all stakeholders to engage all other relevant stakeholders to develop strategies that will help to address and curb the incidences of gender based-violence in Oyo State.
“We are going to develop strategies that will be implemented by all the stakeholders. We hope to begin our advocacies to critical stakeholders, agencies and institutions that will be involved in the implementation of this project especially the enlightenment, we will be working with media to do enlightenment in all local languages.
“We will also be doing street campaigns so that people in the market places, motor parks can understand that this thing is going on and for those who have experienced this, let them come out and speak and not bury it under the carpet.
“We will also develop a reporting strategy that everybody will be part of, if there’s a state of disability abuse, where do you go first, what’s the first reporting point and how do you follow up so that at the end of the day, this issue continues to be focused on and interventions are carried out, not just by us but by everyone in Oyo State including parents, caregivers, agencies, teachers and ministries will be involved.
“Our main target is to raise the awareness that this thing is happening, to also rescue victims and help them overcome the trauma that the experiences have caused them, integrate them with society and ultimately to ensure that persons with disabilities have enabled the environment to become better versions of themselves.”
One of the facilitators, Sola Fagurosi called on the government at all levels to give more attention to the women and girls with disabilities to make Oyo state a desired place for them to live.
“We are trying to bring a subject that is seldom talked about. If you look at persons without disability, gender based-violence is even the major issue but persons with disability, there are lots of stereotypes around them.
“Is not a conversation that people in places of authority even know how to handle, so how do we begin to draw attention to them that girls and women with disabilities also face gender based-violent, it is double trouble. If we did not open up a space which is all this project is all about, how do we provide such information? How do we ensure that there are enough referral pathways for them to report? Where should they report to, who can they collaborate with? That is why we are talking about a task force which involves the police, the NSCDC, Civil society organization, media, religious institutions, national orientation agency, NHRC; that is what we are bringing all of these together such that if any case comes to their desk for instance, then it becomes easier to say, look this is how this case should be handled.
“The call to government is that, they need to give attention to this properly and I am happy in Oyo state here, they get ID card and we are talking health insurance as well, can we also have a toll free line for them, distress, health related, socially related, specially for persons living with disabilities to ensure these services reach and make Oyo State a desired place for them to live.
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