MR Paschal Anozie ,the Project Coordinator, Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre (CIRDDOC), an NGO, has called journalists to promote ideas that would boost the campaign against Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the country.
Anozie made the appeal at a one-day training for media practitioners in Aba on GBV and Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) rights as well as the techniques for reporting SRH and GBV issues.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was organised by Coalition of Eastern Non-governmental Organisations (CENGOS) in collaboration with the centre.
According to him, the role of the media in shaping the society through agenda setting cannot be over emphasised.
Anozie said that media practitioners ought to be equipped with the necessary skills to report gender-based violence incidents in a manner that would not perpetuate gender stereotypes.
He expressed optimism that the training would enhance media coverage of GBV and SRH issues; make them more visible and in turn force the society to acknowledge them as problems.
Mrs Ahurue Ubani-Ukoma, the state Coordinator of CENGOS, said that the prevalence of GBV, especially child sexual molestation, had become worrisome.
Ubani-Ukoma said: “The violation of the human rights of women and girls is still the least talked about, because most of them take place within the home.
“And family pressures and attitude ensure that they remain largely unreported, which helps to encourage GBV.
“It is for this reason that the media is being encouraged to become active participants in this campaign to end GBV through reports that will be in survivors’ best interest.’’
Mr Iyke Anaga, a resource person, later told newsmen that the coverage of SRH issues and GBV by the media was poor.
Anaga therefore urged the media to desist from portraying victims of GBV in their news reports as the cause of the act.
“This makes it difficult for these women to report GBV or access services, which makes it easier for perpetrators to go unpunished,’’ he said.
Miss Onyinyechi Nwosu, a participant, said that the training had given her the opportunity to learn more about SRH rights.
Nwosu said that the training had motivated her into considering initiating an aggressive campaign against GBV. (NAN)

– Aug. 18, 2018 @ 11:35 GMT |