Mrs Bisi Fayemi, the governor’s wife in Ekiti State, called on parents on Monday in Ado-Ekiti to raise their children in ways that will teach them to value societal norms.
She stated that such training should pay special attention to gender rights.
Fayemi gave the advice at the state capital’s third Gender Based Violence (GBV) summit.
She urged stakeholders to collaborate with relevant organizations to promote best practices in GBV actions.
“As we make commitments to sustain anti-GBV efforts, communities should not take the law into their own hands, but rather report perpetrators to appropriate authorities,” she warned.
Fayemi announced the establishment of two additional Gender-Based Violence and Assault Referral Centres in the state to provide adequate care to victims of sexual harassment.
She stated that the referral centers would be located in Ido-Ekiti and Ikere-Ekiti and would begin operations in the first quarter of 2022.
“We must emphasize the causes of GBV and take a comprehensive approach to eradicating the threat.”
“If we continue to promote stereotypical approaches, we will expose more people to sexual violence,” she said.
Earlier, Alhaja Mariam Ogunlade, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, praised the state’s GBV Management Committee for its progress in combating the menace.
During a panel discussion at the summit, Mr Wale Fapohunda, the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, stated that the state had produced standard GBV rules, which had been compiled in a compendium for easy access.
In his contribution, Oba Ayodele Adejuwon, Chairman of the Ekiti Council of Obas and Onisan of Isan Ekiti, emphasized the importance of custodians of culture and traditions continuing to educate their subjects on existing laws in order to create a society free of sexual violence.