Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, the First Lady of Lagos State, urged students on Monday to stand up to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
The governor’s wife gave the advice during an advocacy visit to some public schools as part of the ongoing 16-day campaign against SGBV.
Dolphin Senior High School and Dolphin Junior High School, Tapa, Lagos Island; and Aje Comprehensive Junior High School and Aje Comprehensive Senior High School, Sabo-Yaba, Lagos; were among the schools visited.
She stated that the students needed to stand up to violence because of the physical, psychological, and emotional trauma that victims endured, which sometimes resulted in death.
According to her, the advocacy visit to schools is intended to catch students while they are still young and educate them on the importance of working against all forms of SGBV.
“’ As we all know, the world is commemorating 16 days of anti-SGBV activism. It begins on November 25 and concludes on December 10, which is Human Rights Day.
“The UN is championing the program globally, and our theme this year is “Orange The World: End Violence Against Women Now,” she explained.
Sanwo-Olu stated that the advocacy was also championed by the Nigeria Governors’ Wives Forum, NGOs, and other private individuals and organizations to ensure that such violence was not tolerated in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos.
“For the Lagos State First Lady’s Office, we decided that our advocacy would be community sensitization at the grassroots level, which we did on Nov. 29.”
“We followed it up with a sensitization visit to our community’s religious leaders.” This is our third avenue of advocacy: going into schools.
“We realized that it is best to catch them when they are young, so when we plant this seed in the children, it will gradually germinate and help us ensure that our students have the correct mindset and understand why these vices exist and what the law says about vices in the country.”
“I am pleased with the response we are receiving. The students are eager to learn more about sexual and gender-based violence and to join the fight to eradicate it in our state.
“We have distributed some resource materials that will assist teachers, students, and parent associations in the respective schools in learning more and working against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in our communities,” she explained.
The governor’s wife donated laptop computers, industrial cooking gas, and other educational materials to each of the schools, ensuring that more schools and other important organizations would be visited.
Dr. Olufolayimika Abiose-Ayandele, Permanent Secretary, Education District III, responded on behalf of the students, commending Sanwo-Olu for her interest and passion for the welfare and safety of students in the state.
She stated that the advocacy visit to schools on the issue of SGBV was yet another clear demonstration of the government’s commitment to eradicating rape, defilement, and all forms of sexual abuse.
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