Plateau Gender Commission Rally Women Leaders to End Gender Based Violence

Worried by recent unfortunate development where Plateau State is taking the lead in the country on child trafficking and related cases, the Plateau State Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission has taken further steps towards addressing the menace.

Parts of the steps taken by the commission was a stakeholders meeting with wives of heads of denominations, women leaders, and Muslim women organisations to discuss with them as leaders on the need to join hands in the campaign to end all forms of Gender Violence across the state.

The stakeholders engagement which was held on Thursday at the hall of Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA) in Jos, gave the commission an avenue to Sharpe with the women leaders some of the devastating stories of happenings among Plateau Women and girls within and outside the country.

The most recent was the video of some Plateau and Imo states girls that were trafficked to Ghana for prostitution and other unwholesome activities.

The most worrisome parts of the story according to the Chairperson, Plateau State Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission, Barrister Olivia Daziem, was the culture of silence among the Plateau mothers as no mother from the state has came out to identify any of the girls as her daughter.

She expressed concerned that in some cases it is even the parents that are signing their children out for prostitution or child labour, by making the children bread winners of the family.

The Commission’s Chairperson stressed the need for religious leaders to speak up and be instrumental in the campaign in their various places of worship by sending out the right messages.

She suggested that religious leaders can establish a structure where victims can ventilate their burden in collaboration with relevant bodies that can give hope to the victims.

Barr. Daziem said the issues of sexual and gender based violence, trafficking in the state, fundamental human right abuses is a situation that calls for everyone’s attention.

“You are aware that quite a number of our children are being trafficked out of the state. That is the form of right violation. You are also aware of the kind of domestic violence that we have, there are cultural practices that infringe on the right of our people in the state.

“His Excellency, Barrister Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang would want us to create awareness, sensitize the people that we need to respect each other’s fundamental rights. That is why we are here.” She said

She urged the religious women leaders to be advocates of the campaign in any given opportunity.

Secretary of the Commission, Barr. Nalong Gumut, in her presentation, spoke on the mandate of the commission, vision and mission and what the commission is doing to achieve the mandate.

The issues of trafficking, domestic violence, child abuse, helplessness of the children who have no option but to go out and fend for themselves topped the discussion at the meeting.

A video documentary on gender based violence, trafficking among others was played for the religious women leaders to provoke their heart to action during the engagement.

There was interactive session as well as questions and answers session during the event, where the participants assured that they would lead the campaign in their various organizations and places of worship.