EXTENDED Hands Foundation, in collaboration with Ford Foundation, has identified the urgent need to train gender-based violence champions, who will continue to educate and train other students in the fight against gender-based violence in society.
The organisation hosted an inter-school debate competition among six secondary schools across Lagos state with the theme: “A world without Gender-Based Violence” to further address the issue of gender-based violence.
This is due to the success of the previous awareness and advocacy to schools, which made a tremendous impact in previous phases of the project, based on the project evaluation and demands made by different schools.
The convener of the initiative, Nollywood Actress and Producer, Stephanie Linus, said the aim is to creatively engage the younger generation in vital conversations on gender-based violence.
Linus said the inter-school debate competition was a response to the impressive work of change agents across secondary schools in Nigeria, especially secondary schools that are project partners.
While adding that the organisation got support from their partner, Ford Foundation, she advised the participants, especially the students, to report any attempt by anybody to harass them, adding that anyone whose conversation makes them uncomfortable should be reported to a school counsellor or parents/guardian.
Linus advised them to learn to recognise strange behaviour in the opposite sex, move in groups whenever possible, avoid dark or lonely places with the opposite sex, and avoid others’ bedrooms and bathrooms. She also advised them to be careful of what they are given to eat or drink.
The participants were also advised to always dress properly and learn to cry out if attacked no matter the person involved, and to report to appropriate authorities, school counsellor, parent/guardian, teachers, religious leaders etc. of any unseemly behaviour towards them, stressing that they should say something when they see something.
The six schools, Molan High School, New Edition School, Great Lilly College, Ireti Senior Grammar School, Victoria Island Senior Secondary School, and Gbara Community Senior Secondary School, participated in this highly competitive debate, with Molan High School, Ikotun, Lagos emerging as the winner.
THE SUN
