In its determination to nip gender-based violence in the bud in Akwa Ibom, Family Empowerment and Youth Reorientation Path Initiative (FEYReP) in collaboration with the Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund (NWTF) rounded off a one-day community stakeholders’ engagement on rural community mobilization and increasing rural voices to end gender-based violence in the five Local Government Areas.
The engagements held on April 9, 2025, at Ewang community, Mbo Local Government Area, April 10, 2025 at Udung Adatang in Udung Uko Local Government Area, April 11 2025 at Ndon Eyo in Esit Eket Local Government Area, April 14, 2025 at Eyo Bieme in Urue Offong Local Government Area and April 15,2025 at Udung Esanng in Oron Local Government Area had stakeholder drawn from the communities.
Also in attendance were officers of the Nigerian Police Force serving in the community
Welcoming the stakeholders, the coordinator of FEYReP, Dr. Idorenyin Ekanem, while showing appreciation to the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) for its sponsorship stated that the essence of the meeting was to brainstorm on how to eradicate GBV in the society.
Ekanem disclosed that the reason the communities mentioned were selected was due to reports of more cases of the menace in their localities in recent times, calling on their village heads, women and youth leaders to take responsibility by reporting any case of rape or other forms of GBV within their domains in order to stop the violence.
Her words: “Do not consider your being here as a waste of time because knowledge gained is very good. GBV is not selective, it could happen to anyone but women and children are more vulnerable, so whenever someone is abused around you; whether it is sexual assault, domestic violence involving husband and wife, abusing house help, trafficking or any act that is working against a person’s will, please report. This is the pathway to ending this evil in our society”.
She charged everyone to take the message back home to their different domains, stressing that the Nigerian Violence Against Persons (VAPP) Law which had been domesticated in Akwa Ibom State, ensures that anyone who is found guilty of the offense, will serve adequate punishment, irrespective of their societal status.
“Women leaders, when you have your meetings in the church and in marketplaces; our traditional fathers when you call for council meetings, tell them that nobody will be spared.”
Commenting on the program, some stakeholders thanked the organisers for the awareness and promised to carry on the message in educating others on the dangers of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and the need to end it in their various communities.
The event featured keynote presentation by the resource persons as well as question and answer sessions.
