Fighting Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria (My PISAN Experience)
My name is Ese Akpiroroh. I am an analyst with Sydani group, and a part of the Preventing Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault in Nigeria (PISAN) project team.
What about the PISAN project stood out for you the most?
For me, something interesting about the PISAN project is that it is targeted towards residents in internally displaced camps. Studies show that people in those settings have higher rate of gender-based violence (GBV) with respect to intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault (SA). Findings from our baseline assessment up until our midline assessment showed that some of these women do not know that they are being assaulted because of the peculiarities in the camp. We found that they were being abused and they considered it as a norm.
One of the objectives of the PISAN project is to enlighten the women on gender-based violence. As part of the implementation strategy, we conducted awareness outreaches to sensitize and educate the women on the different forms of GBV. I was truly delighted to see these women happily join the fight against GBV, being empowered through these community sensitization outreaches.
Another highlight for me is the deployment of a toll-free line which served as reporting system across the camps in the FCT. Before the intervention there was no free reporting line where victim or survivors of GVB could call in to report, or be reported for, with access to the help they need. These toll-free lines were administered to the women. With this, they were able to call to report cases of GBV and access the help they need. This helped to increase reporting in camp.
How has the project challenged you personally?
At first, I could say I was scared of going to those settings due misinformation on security in these settings. I learnt that the reality in these misconceptions were far-fetched and far removed from the reality within the camps. Overcoming that misconception and taking up a better perspective of things, I was able to better interact with the people.
Interacting with these internally displaced persons helped me connect with them at a deeper level which afforded me a better understand of life from their perspective. This interaction made them feel appreciated and cared for, and in turn made them more receptive to the intervention much more than we had anticipated.
One other thing that really challenged the project is the cultural beliefs prevalent in these settings. These settings comprise a variety of culture and traditions seeing that these people came from diverse backgrounds and societies. For some, it is believed that talking about family intimate issues with strangers or in public was a taboo. So you find many of these women would prefer to remain silent about cases personal experiences of GBV or cases involving another woman. We also had instances where GBV cases were reported on the behalf of the victim and only for the victim/survivor to deny ever experiencing such and refusing care for fear of being shamed by the community, stigmatized or retaliation from their violent partners.
Despite these challenges among others, we have recorded improvements resulting from this project. We have seen more people become more aware of what GBV is and how to report it. And we have also recorded an increase in reporting with victims or survivors receiving the care and justice they deserve.
As this project comes to a closure, we are deploying sustainability plans to ensure that these women continue to receive the care, and justice that they deserve.
