Violence Against Girls: WACOL Trains Enugu Secondary School Male Students

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) –  Disturbed by the high rate of Gender based violence (GBV) in the contemporary society,, Women Aid Collective WACOL, has trained students of Saint Patrick’s College, Emene, Enugu on prevention of the menace and promotion of positive masculinity and healthy relationships.

The programme, put together by the organization in partnership with Ford Foundation is designed to make the participants  have a positive mindset on women and girls, and help in  promoting the gospel against GBV in their school and society.

Addressing the students  and some men who were also in attendance, Founding Director of WACOL, Professor Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, explained that “this workshop on men and Boys engagement is to promote positive masculinity and healthy relationships”.

The men and boys engagement programme she further explained is to engage and train the participants, (school Based peer education) in GBV prevention

She harped on the need for all and sundry, including male students to join hands saying no to issue of GBV menace in the society.

The WACOL boss, who spoke through the organization’s Senior programmes officer, Amala Okwuosa, stated that as a law Professor, the program is dear to her because of the very engaging formative aspect of it, especially the essence of GBV Prevention that it threw up.

According to the Senior Advocate of Nigeria SAN, “the expected outcomes from this men and boys engagement programme are along the lines of Attitudinal shifts and Capacity gains as evidenced through the pre and post evaluation questionnaires”

She further pointed out that the attitudinal shifts across individual, interpersonal/household and community levels with applicable focus on the different categories of Stakeholders remains vital in addressing the GBV problem in the society.

In a presentation entitled: Interrupting Cycles- Healthy Masculinity, Healthy Relationship, a strategic Communication and Mediation expert, Dr. Cyril Uche Anioke, noted that Cycles of violence, inequality and unhealthy expressions of masculinity are really isolated incidents.

He posited that they are often passed from one generation to the next , shaping how boys learn to think, act and relate to others.

The university Don, pointed out that “a boy who grew up witnessing his father use violence to assert control, or hearing constant massages that men must dominate women, is more likely to internalize these behaviours as normal”

 “As adults, such boys may either perpetrate violence themselves, tolerate it in silence, or struggle with their own Identities as men” he stated.

Another Resource person, Mr. Chris Sanctus Okereke,  made a presentation titled: Understanding objectification–addressing victim–blaming, addressing defensive behavior.

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