Civil society organisations in Kogi State and other key stakeholders have lamented the spate of attacks, rape and kidnapping of women in the state.
They said this in commemoration of the 16 days of activism to end gender based violence (GBV).
The groups during a peaceful rally in Lokoja to register their grievances said the high rate of gender based violence against women with disabilities remained high.
Speaking to journalists, the Executive Director, Challenged Parenthood Initiative (CPI), Eunice Abimbola Agbogun, urged Kogi state government to create an enabling environment by establishing a sexual assault reference center for survivors of gender based violence.
“There has been series of attacks especially on women at various level. We have been having series of reports of wife battering, cases of rape and kidnapping of women in the state. Recently, there seems to have been a kind of concentrated kidnapping in Kogi state and that is gender based violence.
“We want the citizens of Kogi State, whether men or women, to be secured. For us, we have identified that kidnapping women in Kogi state is also a form of gender based violence. Recently, we have had high reports of teenage pregnancy and that is as a result of rape. We want the Commissioner of Police to be aware of this, that is why all Women is adding their voices for this to stop,” she said.
Also speaking, the Kogi State Coordinator, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Barr. Nuhu Musa called on all stakeholders to unite against gender based violence.
“Every form of gender based violence in Kogi state must be stopped. All the stakeholders must join forces to eradicate this menace in our society. This campaign must be taken to the grassroots. The culture of family intervention of GBV cases must also be stopped,” he added.
He frowned at the under reporting GBV cases in the state, stressing that the culture of keeping silence must come to an end.
On her part, the President, Concerned Youths and Teens forum of Nigeria (CONYOUTH), Barr. Joy Oluwaseun Akinola asserted that the absence of shelter has led to the increase of GBV cases in Kogi state.
According to her, “when issues of GBV are reported and there is no place to rescue the victim to, that is a major problem. People don’t come out to talk because they know that if they say something, they won’t have a place to put their head. Sometimes, perpetuators are within their family, intimate partners and benefactors to them.
“Imagine living in somebody house and the person is being harassed sexually. Such Person may not be able to talk because when he or she comes out of that place, the person will be vulnerable. By the time GBV victims have a shelter, it will drastically help the work of the prosecutor, Civil Society and make Kogi a better place.”
