Leadership Initiative For Youth Empowerment, (LIFE) a non-governmental organization has embarked on awareness to train students on domestic and gender-based violence in some Schools in Lagos.
The group said the goal and mission of the NGO is to create a society where all rights exist and to empower youths, girls, and other vulnerable females with human rights, sexual rights, and economic empowerment.
The NGO programme officer Ogechi Jessica Steven who addressed journalists in Lagos on Wednesday said they embarked on the awareness campaign to reduce the incidence of sexual abuse and GBV among vulnerable young girls and women through increased access to human and legal rights.
She said the awareness started in May and ran to June, GBV compromises various forms of violence and discrimination based on gender, including physical, sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse.
“Through interactive sessions and educational workshops, we aim to equip the students with the knowledge and skills to recognize, prevent, and address GBV in their schools and communities. Together, we strive to foster a culture of respect, empathy, and equality, where every individual feels safe and empowered to speak out against violence and discrimination.
“LIFE is also providing psycho-social support to survivors of GBV including secondary school students some of the schools visited include; Jaimure College, Divine Infinity College, Divine International School, Heros Immaculate College and others are Nubi private school.
“We are teaching them the distinction between sex and gender, also laying the foundation for understanding the complexities of GBV for young girls.
“We were able to train about 80 students from the various schools and sparked enthusiasm among the students, who expressed their eagerness to be volunteers. The teachers were also urged to actively report GBV occurring within the school or its surroundings.”
The Program Officer added that Life aims to create a safer environment and ensure swift intervention in cases of violence or harassment to students.
She said: “We used the opportunity to provide immediate counselling and encouragement to three students who have experienced GBV with the intention to follow up with the students. We also raise awareness about the Lagos State Domestic Law 2007 and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) among the students and empower them with knowledge and resources to prevent and address such incidents.”