TECHNOLOGY IS HELPING WIDC CAMPAIGN ON GENDER BASED VIOLENCE SPREADING LIKE A WIDE FIRE IN NIGERIA

WIDC this year take our campaign to another level by going technology. We started Confident Girls Initiative (CGI) to raise and train community activist that will be voices of their community. Through our mobile app ‘Ibiabo’ and the activities of our Confident Girls Ambassadors (CGA), our campaign against violence against women within the space of 9 months has spread to 10 institutions of learning and 8 states of Nigeria. This is much more than what we have achieved in the last 10 years of our work. We hope to raise 5000 community activists and spread the campaigns against gender-based violence to 200 institutions of learning and 36 states of Nigeria by the end of 2023

The Women Inspiration Development Center (WIDC) works to combat violence against women and girls in Nigeria through powerful networking, educating women and girls to be more assertive, empowering communities to prevent gender-based violence and create support groups for women to help them with their healings and establish economic power for themselves. Gender based violence remains one of the most common human rights abuses in the world and Nigeria as a country. It crosses cultural, religious, social and economic boundaries. It exists in both private and public spheres and has become a serious impediment to achieving gender equality.

 In Nigeria, at least one in every three women is likely to have been beaten or abused in her lifetime. The most common violence against women and girls in Nigeria is sexual and domestic violence perpetrated by mostly people that are closed to them.

I grew up as a girl with no voice. Even though I witnessed several domestic abuses as I was growing up, it must always be kept as a secret and you must not talk about. As a female you don't have any say in anything including your own fate. The culture of silence in my community was so strong and it is still very strong till even today but the difference is that now I have found my voice, many women and girls have found their voices and we and raising our voices about this culture. We don't have to be dumb because we are females. We are all created with voices that must be reckoned with irrespective of our gender.

 It is germane to me that women and girls must find their voices, discover their power, live their dreams and create the life they want for themselves.