AIDS foundation holds “silent protest” against sexual violence

In a bid to ensure that issue of gender based violence especially against young girls is brought to limelight, AIDS Health-Care Foundation Nigeria plans a “silent protest” march. The silent protest campaign is expected to hold in Abuja on Monday starting from Millennium Park. The foundation prevention programme manager, Elizabeth Duile  told Daily Trust that […]

In a bid to ensure that issue of gender based violence especially against young girls is brought to limelight, AIDS Health-Care Foundation Nigeria plans a “silent protest” march.

The silent protest campaign is expected to hold in Abuja on Monday starting from Millennium Park.

The foundation prevention programme manager, Elizabeth Duile  told Daily Trust that “We want to use this as an opportunity to let Nigerians and the relevant stakeholders know that there is a need to implement the laws that have been made in this regards as some of such laws even though in existence are not being felt”

“People get raped, women are violently treated in their homes and nothing really happens to the perpetrators, Even though some victims get justice but if you look at it vis a vis  the number of times such acts are perpetrated then you will know that the impact of the law is not being felt,” she stressed.

Elizabeth said silence protest is their way of saying they want the implementation of the law in relations to rape and issues of gender based violence.

Why the focus on young women and girls? She said it is because they are the most vulnerable.

Furthermore “Silent protest” also has the objective of letting women know they need to take care of their reproductive sexual health.

She said “it is our way of bringing out services to the fore like example a lot of people do not know about the Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which is a service available for rape victims so that you do not get HIV if you do that within 72 hours, that is if such a person have been exposed to HIV.

Elizabeth urged people who have been violated physically or sexually to not stay silent but take advantage of the legal and health services.