Life Bencher and Executive Director of Women Aid Collective (WACOL), Prof. Joy Ezeilo, SAN, has expressed concern over the alarming cases of gender-based violence in religious organisations and institutions across the country.
Her alarm is coming in the wake of the Enugu State Police Command’s arrest of a pastor who allegedly raped two teenagers during a deliverance session.
The Senior Advocate spoke during a two-day training organised by WACOL for selected religious leaders from the six geopolitical zones on responses to gender-based violence.
Addressing the gathering at the conclusion of the training held in Ikeja, Lagos State, on Tuesday, Prof. Ezeilo, SAN, disclosed that the daily reports of abuses against females in churches have reached an alarming level.
She said such abuses were often perpetrated by supposed men of God who were meant to be guides to their victims.
“At WACOL/Tamar SARC, we get reports daily about abuses going on around us, especially sexual and gender-based violence perpetrated by supposed men of God and in supposed places of worship,” she said.
“We are currently handling a matter where two sisters, aged 15 and 17, in Enugu, were raped during a supposed deliverance by the pastor in charge of the place of worship.
“Cases of sexual assault continue to be trivialised and the ‘blaming the victim’ mantra is very much alive. Women are treated as liars.”
She referenced several instances of gender-based violence, adding that the problem cut across all religions.
Ezeilo said cultural beliefs and practices also contribute to GBV in Nigeria, and that the training aimed to equip women to champion gender equality.
“By strengthening grassroots organisations, the project seeks to build the capacity of women to challenge harmful cultural and religious practices, promote gender-equitable norms, and provide community-based support systems that address the root causes of GBV.
“Through education, advocacy and leadership development, the project will foster safe, inclusive communities where women and girls are protected, valued and able to thrive,” she added.
Ezeilo said the religious leaders were selected as part of a train-the-trainer initiative, with a target of reaching 1,000 women across the country. She added that trainers would be funded with support from the Ford Foundation.
Also speaking, Stella Okoroafor, chairperson of the Women’s Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Lagos chapter, blamed gender-based violence on victims’ ignorance and lack of information.
She stressed that providing the right information and training would help victims and curb GBV in religious organisations.
A participant and executive director of the Justice, Development and Peace Centre, Reverend Father Benedict Onwugbenu, urged states to domesticate and enforce the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act as a means of curbing GBV.
