Human Rights: FIDA Abuja moves to stop violence against women and girls

To commemorate this year’s International Human Right’s Day, the International federation of women lawyers, FIDA, Abuja branch on Monday December 10, 2018 went on a public campaign to stop violence against women and girls.

The event, which was part of FIDA’s 16-day activism to curb this social menace, was aimed at raising public awareness against the dangers of this vice.

Speaking on a program at Wazobia FM Abuja, representatives of the body sensitized listeners about this menace. They highlighted the hazards of violence against women and girls; making specific reference to intimate partner violence and sexual violence, which according to them, is a major public health problem and a violation of women’s human rights.

“Violence can negatively affect women’s physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health, and may increase the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases in some settings,” the group’s representative said.

Thereafter, the women headed to Jabi motor park, were they discouraged men from carrying on violent acts, such as battering, rape and maiming of their partners or other female members of their families, which most often than not led to loss of life, prison term, and various other consequences.

FIDA also offered support to men who disclosed that their partners act violently towards them.

FIDA’s campaign revealed that Men are more likely to perpetrate violence if they have low education, a history of child maltreatment, exposure to domestic violence against their mothers, harmful use of alcohol, unequal gender norms including attitudes accepting of violence, and a sense of entitlement over women.

On the other hand, Women are more likely to experience intimate partner violence if they have low education, exposure to mothers being abused by a partner, abuse during childhood, and attitudes accepting violence, male privilege, and women’s subordinate status.

The date was chosen to honour the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first global enunciation of human rights and one of the first major achievements of the new United Nations.