The National Co- Chair, Side by Side Movement for Gender Justice in Nigeria, also, Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, Kaduna Chapter, Reverend Joseph John Hayab, has cautioned that violence, rape, early marriage and denying right to education for girls, and women will fuel crisis in the society.
Hence, pleaded they should be accorded available opportunity for them to play their role in Nation building.
Hayab stressed that if society do not continue to speak against the menace which is found almost every parts of the country, ‘products of such cancer will leave to hunt it in no time.’
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He started this while facilitating a session at the sensitization meeting organized by Side by Side Movement for Gender Justice in Nigeria, a Christain aid funded programme, on rape, early marriage and girl child education for community and religious leaders held in Kaduna.
According to him, violence against girls, women is among many disturbing issues witnessed in the country, noting there is urgent need for it to be addressed as it is capable of fueling many other crisis.
He buttressed that experience have shown that most of the products of viloence approach to girls,women have end up to become children who torment and terrorized the community.
“We are advocating that Community leaders, religious leaders should speak against any form of viloence against women, speak and encourage Girl Child Education and discourage Early form of marriage because we want our daughters to come out and become responsible mother, daughters.
“We want our daughter also to contribute their quota to nation building. If they don’t have good education, you have nothing to get from them, and then if we expose them and allow evil people to rape them, they will eventually take in and give birth to children that will torment us.
“Our girls must be accorded with opportunity that is available and know that their is a role to play in Nation building, abusing them, denying them to right education, or forcing them to early marriage or raping them will only add sorrows to our societies”, Hayab stressed.
He noted Ignorance, Poverty and Evil doers who hide under Religious and Cultural covers are the driving causes of Violence against girls and women, therefore said their is need for the people to be properly enlightened and also be feed with the words of the scriptures accordingly.
Also at the occasion, Mrs. Amina Kazaure, staff with Britain trust foundation , also Member of the Movement said, it is unfortunate that the figures of Rape and Early Child Marriage are rising day by day, despite all kinds of advocacy and sensitization carried out, however, explained there is still need for more sensitization for people to always speak up.
“There is fear of stigma from the people, hey don’t want the people to know that their daughter is being raped. Within the communities we know that the figures are been risen up.” She said.
She also attributed the root causes of violence against girls to Ignorant and drugs, saying they play a very critical role in most violence cases.
She therefore called on the government to put in place avenues whereby perpetrators are brought to book and face the full wrath of the law to serve as deterrants to others who will want to perpetrate such.
