CITAD Urges Kano Clerics To Champion Fight Against Gender-based Violence

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has called connected spiritual leaders successful Kano State to talk retired boldly against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and promote men to play progressive roles successful ending the scourge.

The entreaty was made connected Wednesday during an advocacy sojourn to the Kano State section of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

Project Officer of the Male Feminist Network (MFN) nether CITAD, Muhammad Sani Sa’idu, said the combat against gender-based unit should not beryllium near to women alone, stressing that men indispensable go allies successful the struggle.

“Too often, men stay soundless erstwhile women are abused. But soundlessness is complicity,” Sa’idu said. “We indispensable determination from being bystanders to progressive defenders of justice. If men basal up, the partition of soundlessness volition interruption and communities volition change.”

He explained that the MFN, supported by the African Centre for Leadership Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) and the Ford Foundation, was moving to recruit, train, and mobilise men to situation harmful taste practices and patriarchal systems that substance inequality.

Sa’idu noted that galore women endure successful soundlessness owed to stigma, taste unit oregon misinterpretation of religion, adding that: “A peaceful location cannot beryllium built connected fear, and nary religion sanctions unit against women. When men respect women, they besides support the dignity of society.”

In his response, the CAN chairman, represented by his deputy, Rev. Bitrus Nuhu, commended CITAD for engaging with religion leaders, pledging enactment successful addressing the issue.

“No religion accepts violence,” Rev. Nuhu said. “The religion cannot fold its arms portion women and girls suffer. Our voices indispensable usher families to unrecorded successful bid and communal respect.”

The President of the Evangelical Church of Christ successful Nigeria (ECCN), Rev. Kefas S. Galadima, added that religion communities indispensable bash much than condemn violence.

“Preaching unsocial is not enough,” helium said. “Churches indispensable supply counselling, healing and justness for victims. As scripture teaches; support the anemic and the oppressed, this is existent religion.”

Sa’idu further urged clerics to exposure perpetrators of SGBV, describing it arsenic not lone a idiosyncratic calamity but besides a nationalist setback.

“When you onslaught a woman, you coiled the bosom of a nation. When you uplift a woman, you uplift generations,” he emphasised.