Safe Space Initiative, ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) and others have harped on the need for collaboration with state governors , communities, state actors in each state across the country to curb Gender Base Violence (GBV) from the grassroot.
The Executive Director, Safe Space Initiative, Tosin Akinbode Osho in an interview at the just concluded Mirror Mirror Stage Play in Abuja, said the initiative seeks to take the play to all the 36 states across the country so as to pass a message about gender norms to the grassroot.
The stage play was directed by Priye Diri, and the Executive Director, Osasu Edobor, Safe Space Initiative in partnership with Action Aid Nigeria, The Embassy of Brazil in Nigeria, and THR Media.
She said the play is an offshoot of a continuous effort by Safe Space Initiative to catalyze conversations on gender-based violence, gender roles, and harmful gender practices.
She said Safe Space Initiative is using the play as community advocacy and story telling tool, a mobile App – HERfessions, an anonymous platform that shares details of varying service providers such as psycho-social, health, legal, security, and empowerment initiatives mapped across the nation.
Also, the Executive Producer, Mirror Mirror Stage Play, Osasu Edobor said Mirror Mirror is a stage play that delves into our regular lives and showcases how gender norms can be a propagating factor for domestic violence.
She called on the need for the Federal Government to support advocacy and intervention programs and establish more policies, laws and to also implement them .
Also, Charge d’Affairs of Brazill embassy, João Marcelo Soares called on the need to include Men in GBV issues because they are the source of the problem and they should be the target of the event .
He said GBV is not only in Nigeria but a universal problem and we all have to address GBV issues as a whole.
Also, the Programs Manager , Women Right, ActionAid Nigeria, Niri Goyit said ActionAid provides different kinds of support from capacity building , institutional strenghthening, amongt others to reach out to women at the grassroot to avert GBV and they are happy to partner with Safe Space Initiative.
She further said they have also focused on transformative gender approaches that addresses social cultural norms by changing these tactics over the years.
Also, the Director, Mirror Mirror Stage Play, Priye Diri said the play depicts men and women issues and talks about the role family has to play to end gender based violence issues .
Safe Space Initiative is a non-profit organization using new media and technology solutions to help women and girls break free, find shelter, and recover from Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, which includes domestic violence, trafficking, and other types of exploitation.
