Initiative for Women and Girls Right Advancement (IWOGRA) conducted a training workshop at Galadimawa Community, Abuja, on Saturday, 17 October, 2020. The training had 36 Participants in attendance comprising of women and girls between 16-35 years of age, and the IWOGRA team which comprised of Nkechi Obiagboso-Udegbunam, Executive Director of IWOGRA, Sheila Audu, Deputy Director of IWOGRA, Uwaila Omosigho, Program Manager and Halimatu Sadiya Adamu, IWOGRA Volunteer. The training commenced at 10:00am WAT with the introduction of participants and the IWOGRA team in order to enable the participants and the IWOGRA team to get acquainted with one another and it was facilitated by Sheila Audu.
After the introduction, Nkechi Obiagbaoso-Udegbunam, Executive Director of IWOGRA gave the opening remarks. In her remarks, she explained the need for women and girls to aim high and build capacity as they are an integral part of the society. She urged them to unite and not tear each other down because unity will enable them tackle the challenges and injustices such as sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) that women and girls experience, especially in rural communities.
Thereafter, Sheila Audu, Deputy Director of IWOGRA explained the objectives of the meeting in Hausa Language which is the local dialect of the indigenes of Galadimawa Community. She explained the aims and objectives of the training extensively and she translated in the local dialect of the Community throughout the training in order to carry everyone along. According to her, the objectives of the training are: Educating grassroots women and girls in Galadimawa Community on the provisions of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015, to train the Community women and girls on strategies for eradicating and preventing sexual and gender-based violence and to provide free legal counseling to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
The Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) (VAPP) Act was simplified by IWOGRA to aid grassroots women and girls in proper comprehension of the content of the Act. Copies of the simplified versions were distributed amongst participants prior to the commencement of the training.
Nkechi Obiagbaoso-Udegbunam, Executive Director of IWOGRA comprehensively trained the participants on the provision of the VAPP Act, 2015. The training was highly interactive and engaging as she taught the participants all the sections of the VAPP Act in simplified form. Participants shared practical experiences and were in turn taught how to get help when needed. She urged women and girls to speak up against all forms of violence and reminded them that the VAPP Act is being created to punish offenders and enable survivors of Sexual and gender-based violence get Justice.
After the training, participants were divided into two groups and were asked to identify the various forms of SGBV prevalent in their community and proffer ways to address them. The participants came together after the group work to present their answers which reflected child abuse, deprivation of women’s rights, rape, stalking, and domestic violence as the most common kinds of violence they encounter in their community. They called on the government to help create strategies that will help in curbing the violence that they face and appealed for more sensitization trainings to enable more people get informed and enlightened.
Six persons amongst the participants were selected to form the SGBV Community Response Team and these persons are to undergo further training on how to receive complaints from the community women and girls, document evidence, write reports and report to relevant agencies for further actions in order to tackle violence against women and girls in the community. They were to act as paralegals.
After the Program, the IWOGRA team paid a visit to the Palace of His Royal Highness and thanked him for his support in the successful implementation of the project and for supporting the fight against violence against women and girls in his community.