About 30 women drawn from various Civil Society Organisations and CSOs in Lagos, converged at Ikeja on Thursday, the 26th of September 2024, to socialize with the National WEE Policy and contribute to its ongoing domestication process in the state.

The workshop, organised by the Development Research Project Centre (dRPC) in collaboration with the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), was to mainstream Gender-Based Violence in the ongoing domestication policy in the State.

Participants at the one-day workshop engaged in an interactive session, during which they were exposed to the contents of the National WEE Policy. This is part of efforts to ensure that mainstreaming GBV into the policy in Lagos state does not exclude GBV. The CSOs were urged to address the challenges, problems, and barriers faced by women in Lagos and make strategic recommendations about how GBV can be discussed in WEE policy domestication.

The highlight of the workshop was the presentation on the situation of GBV in Lagos state by the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), Mrs. Lola Vivour-Adeniyi. She defined the meaning of domestic and sexual violence, how to prevent it and how to get support. She identified reasons why domestic violence happens, common causes of friction, why people stay in abusive relationships, the impact of domestic violence on the survivors, signs to look out for in an Abuser, and the need to know one’s rights, among other issues.

The workshop also featured group work and presentations on WEE Policy and GBV by one group, while the second group examined the Economically active women and women in Business. Below are the recommendations made by the participants.

  RECOMMENDATIONS

1.  The government should engage more women in empowerment skills and provide loans for them to take off.
2. The government should include women in local and national decision-making processes on GBV and economic policies, ensuring that women’s experiences inform solutions.
3. This kind of programme should be organised more often and aired on radio and television for more public awareness for youth and women.
4. There should be more empowerment programmes for women and people living with disability The government should create targeted social protection schemes that can help survivors of GBV ease their economic burden and facilitate reintegration into the workforce.
5. Training GBV Survivors on digital innovations to empower them with internet skills and financial literacy
6. More sensitization programmes at the local governments and wards
7. Policies protecting beneficiaries of WEE from possible abuse due to empowerment should be enforced
8. Community engagement and involvement of stakeholders at the grassroots level should be considered. Local government officials need to be actively involved.
9. Government should support long-term recovery for the survivors of GBV
10. There is a need to develop multi-agency coordination
11. Government should establish and institutionalize safeguards, such as workplace protection laws
12. Government must identify GBV as a barrier to economic empowerment and expand economic opportunities for GBV survivors
13. To curb the menace of GBV, all perpetrators must be penalised
14. NGOs and CSOs should be familiar with the nearest Police Station for collaboration and support in fighting GBV in their communities
15. Machinery should be established to prioritize specific interventions aimed at promoting women’s full participation in Nigeria’s economy.

NEXT Steps

The participants will meet the state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs Ceclia Bolaji Dada to present their recommendations for the mainstreaming of GBV into the ongoing domestication of the WEE policy and other issues affecting women in the state.

NGOs and CSOs in Attendance

1. Albinism Community
2. Bomarah Foundation
3. Centre For Gender Economics in Africa (CGE)
4. Champion Women Entrepreneurs Mentoring Association (CWEMA)
5. DEW Empowerment Foundation
6. DSA
7. Due Empowerment Fund
8. MAEE Foundation
9. Hope At Last Initiative
10. Moriyike Foundation
11. Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA)
12. National Association for the Blind (NAB)
13. National Council of Women Societies (NCWS)
14. Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA)
15. NECA’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW)
16. Surulere Local Government Chapter
17. Sky Girls (GBV Case Management)
18. The African Women Network (TAWN)
19. Women’s Rights and Health Project (WRAHP)