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16 DAYS ACTIVISM AGAINST GENDER – BASED VIOLENCE

When no one takes the responsibility to call others unto action, a lot of things become static. It is not enough for a person to take up the responsibility of change, it is important everyone takes change as a personal activity. The 16 days activism which kicked off November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women) to December 10 (International Day of Human Rights) 2019 under the theme “Orange the World” – SAY NO TO RAPE created a means for Kids & Teens Resource Centre to join the global move to make a local impact on Gender Based Violence especially against Rape.

Some of the staff of Kids & Teens displaying placards with contents against gender based violence

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world due to lots of unreported impunity, silence, stigma and shame. This is why The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women creates the opportunity for awareness. VAWG manifests itself in physical, sexual and psychological forms encompassing intimate partner violence (battering, psychological abuse, marital rape, femicide); sexual violence and harassment (rape, forced sexual acts, unwanted sexual advances, child sexual abuse, forced marriage, street harassment, stalking, cyber harassment); human trafficking (slavery, sexual exploitation); female genital mutilation and child marriage. The adverse effects of all these forms of VAWG reflect on their psychological, physical and sexual life. Therefore, it becomes a strong obstacle to achieving equality, development, peace as well as to the fulfillment of women and girls’ human rights.

In order to create awareness about human rights among people around the world, to get together and celebrate in cooperation to discuss and highlight the specific issues of the human rights, to encourage the vulnerable group of people like women, minorities, youth, poor, disabled person, indigenous people etc. to take part in the event celebration and political decision making, Human Rights Day is an important day to make these key facts known. To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.  The rights of every one diminishes when the rights of one person is threatened.

The question is, “where after all do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Our Voice! Our Rights! Our Future!

So far, so good in this 16 days, Kids & Teens have been able to reach over 10 000 boys through sensitization program at some boys’ secondary school in Akure, Ondo – State such as Oyemekun Grammar School, St.  Dominics,  United CAC,  NYSC camp and males who participated in Ondo – State World AIDS Day walk with much emphasis was placed on real boys don’t rape

Executive Director sensitizing Corps Members on Gender – Based Violence with more focus on the Boys
Human Resource Manager sensitizing the students of Oyemekun Grammar School against rape

Also, Kids & Teens was participated in a video shoot against rape for publicity use via media. This was done in partnership with Ondo – State Primary Health Care Board (ODPHCB). There were other programs on 16 Days Activism that Sister NGOs organized as well as Gender Vanguard CDS group of NYSC that we participated. It was really a massive move creating awareness on daily basis.

Dialogue forum between Kids & Teens Staff and staff of ODPHCB on content for video shoot against rape
The Chief Executive Officer of Kids & Teens with key stakeholders of UNESCO

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