Group Educate Over 250 Students on Domestic, Gender Based Violence

A not-for-profit Organisation, Leadership Initiative for Youth Empowerment (LIFE), has gone on a campaign to schools in Lagos to raise awareness on domestic and gender based violence.

The three-day programme which held across five schools in Lagos, recently, was aimed at educating school children on the Lagos state Protection Against Domestic Violence Law (PADVL) 2007 which came into force on May 18, 2007.

The fourteen page document of the Lagos state PADVL seeks to, through legislation, end cases of physical, mental, emotional or psychological abuse in the state.

LIFE Founder, Mrs. Abiodun Rufus Unegbu, in a statement opined that empowering students with the requisite knowledge of the existing issues of domestic violence would empower younger people to take more proactive steps to save victims.

The school’s visited include: Jaimure College, Divine Infinity College, Divine International School, Heros Immaculate College and Nubi private school.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, LIFE Programme Director, Ms Ogechi Stephen, explained that the sensitisation is part of LIFE’s May/June Awareness Campaign on Gender Based Violence across schools in Lagos state.

She stated that the campaign is aimed at strengthening awareness about the existing issues and the solutions as outlined in the Lagos State government PADVL 2007.

She said: “LIFE has embarked on an ongoing campaign from May through June 2024 to raise awareness about the Lagos state domestic violence law 2007 and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) among students.

“GBV encompasses various forms of violence and discrimination based on gender, including physical, sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse. Through interactive sessions and educational workshops, we aim to equip students with the knowledge and skills to recognize, prevent, and address GBV in their schools and communities.

“Together, we strive to foster a culture of respect, empathy, and equality, where every individual feels safe and empowered to speak out against violence and discrimination. LIFE is currently providing psycho-social support to survivors of GBV including secondary school students.”