ABEOKUTA – In order to reduce the increasing rate of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the society, experts have called for urgent action against the menace.
They made the call at a stakeholders engagement on GBV, standard operating procedures, case management and legislative framework workshop organized by Gender unit of the Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP) held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The experts while speaking on the theme: Strengthening GBV Response through Collaboration, Learning and Safeguarding, noted that it is high time all and sundry rise against the menace which to them, have eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian society.
According to them, all stakeholders, especially the media, must raise alarm danger posed by the menace.
Some of the over 83 participants who spoke at the training said that the training was an eye opener for them in relation to GBV reporting.
According to a gender-based specialist, Mrs. Ewajesu Fasina emphasized the critical role of the media in shaping public response to GBV and other related- issues.
She urged journalists to prioritize the dignity and safety of survivors in their reporting and cautioned them against narratives that could cause further harm or psychological trauma to the survivors.
Mrs. Fasina speaking urged all sectors to uphold safeguarding standards in both service delivery and public communication, especially when dealing with vulnerable groups.
Also, a legal expert and child rights activist, Mr. Damola Lapite, who guided participants through the legal framework for gender-based violence response and reporting, urged media practitioners to report responsibly and help raise public awareness about the harmful impact of such issues on society.
OGSTEP Project Manager of the training, Mrs. Mosunmola Owo-Odusi, who appreciated the presence of journalists and operators of social media platforms, enjoined them to make good use of knowledge gained at the training programme in reporting GBV cases across the state.
Participants at the event said the training has properly equipped them on ethical standards of reporting gender-based violence stories, stressing the psychological importance of protecting survivors who deserve respect, not stigma or shame.
