By IderaOluwa Adetutu,
ActionAid Nigeria in collaboration with Osun government through the Ministry of Women Affairs, Children and Social Welfare has partnered media on prevention of Gender Based Violence against Women and Children.
The media training organized by the Multi-Stakeholders Action Committee on Prevention of Gender Based Violence, had the journalists, reiterating determination to end the GBV scourge in Osun state.
The Project Advisor, MAP GBV, ActionAid Nigeria, Ademola Adeniran, in his remark appreciated continuous support of media in tackling GBV, adding that the partnership with Osun journalists is important and a step forward in exposing GBV perpetrators, and lawless persons who trample on the rights of women and children through violence.
He highlighted that the Prevention of GBV project founded by Ford Foundation is set to protect all categories of women and children without bias.
In his goodwill message, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Osun Council, Comrade Wasiu Ajadosu lauded the organizations for the training which he described as apt, adding that knowledge gained will forever be useful.
He also appreciated the journalists in the state for accepting the call to prevent women and children from gender based violence.
According to the number one journalist in Osun ” I believe this training will further equip us with the necessary skills to enhance our performance, so it is a good one.”
Similarly, the former Chairperson Osun NAWOJ,.Mrs Motunrayo Ayegbayo in her goodwill message stated that NAWOJ is an organization that protects women, children youths, persons with disability and the Marginalized, adding that the choice of protection of the female gender cannot be over-emphasized.
Commending the Multi-Stakeholders Action Committee on Prevention of Gender Based Violence Against Women and Children in Osun state, she added that Osun NAWOJ will always do it’s role as enshrined in it’s objective as a human friendly organization.
The resource person of the training, Chairperson of Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, Osun chapter, Comrade Abisola Ariwodola, also lauded media efforts in their reportages on Gender Based Violence, while maintaining that the impact of the Media in reducing the domestic violence among couples, such as harassment, bullying, abandonment among others needs media advocacy and partnership, to curb, reduce, and prevent gender based violence, which is prevalent in the society.
At the training which held at NUJ exco chamber, Ariwodola said preventing gender based violence with tools such as Violence Against Persons Prohibition VAPP Law, and Sensitisation among others, should be embraced by the media.
The Osun NAWOJ Chairperson highlighted media reporting and engagement as a critical tool in creating awareness and getting the critical facts about the occurrences and incidents of preventing Gender Based Violence, adding that utilization of statistics in Gender Based Violence reporting should be evidence based, argued that a reliable source of data in reporting is critical for believability of the reports.
She urged the media persons in the state to always be available over any GBV case, adding that they shouldn’t be discouraged by encounters in the line of duty, and she pointed out the thematic areas of media policy and advocacy, as well as monitoring of reported cases of Gender Based Violence which journalists needs to identify for the best practices.
Ariwodola, who stated that Prevention of GBV is achievable, emphasized on the importance of media in informing and educating the public on GBV stressed that there is a need for media personnel to do more in ensuring that perpetrators of GBV are punished according to the law.
On reportage and investigations areas for improvement and to achieve better outcomes while handling and reporting related GBV cases, she stated that attention should be on the perpetrators and not on the victims, and noted that law practitioners in the state who are supporting the GBV campaign are available for media to contact wherever they are needed.
The media stakeholders used the training platform to share experiences, and fashion our ways in preventing GBV affecting women and children in Osun state.
