Amplifying Voices against SGBV: “Project VLCF”

 If there are three women in the room where you are now, it is more likely than not that one of them has suffered sexual and/or gender-based violence (SGBV). Alarming as this statistic from the UN Women is, it is one of many harsh realities of the world we live in.

Many women and girls have been preyed on just because of their gender. Year by year, the internet is filled with stories of women and girls who have been assaulted, some losing their lives in the violence. Sadly, the stories that go untold far outnumber those that make the news. This overwhelming culture of silence remains one of the greatest barriers to addressing SGBV.

Concerned individuals and organizations like UN Women, Ford Foundation, ActionAid, DRPC, and WRAPA keep making efforts to curb this scourge by providing relief to victims, calling for court action against perpetrators, and sensitizing communities. The impact made by these organisations and individuals is laudable.

However, the responsibility to end sexual and gender-based violence is not exclusive to a few magnanimous groups or persons. It requires the collective effort of every concerned person. To recruit more people into this fight, the WABMA Media Development Foundation began the Amplifying LFC Voices Project. Named in full: Amplifying the Voices of Leaders of Faith and Culture against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in South-East Nigeria.

What is the Amplifying LFC Voices Project About?

Project VLCF recognizes the critical role that Leaders of Faith and Culture (LFCs) play in shaping societal values and attitudes. Nigeria is a deeply religious country, and Nigerians are known to pay attention to their religious leaders (Afrobarometer 2024). If a cleric condemns acts of SGBV, congregants and other adherents of the same religion would respond better than they would have if the same statement were to be made by a social worker. Are there clerics championing the fight against this scourge? Certainly, there are. But how many people do they get to reach? How wide is their audience?

Concerned individuals and organizations like UN Women, Ford Foundation, ActionAid, DRPC, and WRAPA keep making efforts to curb this scourge by providing relief to victims, calling for court action against perpetrators, and sensitizing communities. The impact made by these organisations and individuals is laudable. However, the responsibility to end sexual and gender-based violence is not exclusive to a few magnanimous groups or persons. It requires the collective effort of every concerned person. To recruit more people into this fight, the WABMA Media Development Foundation began the Amplifying LFC Voices Project. Named in full: Amplifying the Voices of Leaders of Faith and Culture against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in South-East Nigeria.

What is the Amplifying LFC Voices Project About?

Project VLCF recognizes the critical role that Leaders of Faith and Culture (LFCs) play in shaping societal values and attitudes. Nigeria is a deeply religious country, and Nigerians are known to pay attention to their religious leaders (Afrobarometer 2024). If a cleric condemns acts of SGBV, congregants and other adherents of the same religion would respond better than they would have if the same statement were to be made by a social worker. Are there clerics championing the fight against this scourge? Certainly, there are. But how many people do they get to reach?

How wide is their audience?

This is why the WABMA Media Development Foundation initiated the Project VLFC: to provide larger platforms and ensure wider audience reach for leaders of faith and culture who are devoted to ending SGBV. With support from the Ford Foundation, WABMA Foundation has made real progress in achieving the desired result.

Key Objectives of Project VLCF

  1. Building Awareness: The project aims to educate LFCs on the root causes and consequences of SGBV, fostering a deeper understanding of their role in prevention.
  2. Capacity Development: Through tailored training sessions, the initiative equips LFCs and their aides with essential skills to effectively address SGBV within their communities.
  3. Visibility and Advocacy: Project VLCF emphasizes enhancing the visibility of LFC-led anti-SGBV campaigns through strategic media engagement and documentation.

Collaborative Partnerships: The initiative seeks to create a network of stakeholders—including media practitioners, civil society organizations, and policymakers—to strengthen collective action against SGBV.

The Core Activities

The project’s implementation includes:

  • Townhall Meetings: The project kicked off with a town hall meeting, the first of its kind in South-East Nigeria, held on October 31, 2024, at the Bon Platinum Hotel, Enugu. The meeting brought together leaders from the Christian and Islamic faiths, traditional rulers of various ethnicities, other stakeholders like the media, civil society organizations, student groups, and even serving corp members. No group was left behind in the crucial conversation. At the end of the town hall meeting, a communiqué was drafted, to make tangible the agreements reached in the course of the meeting. A good number of the leaders signed their commitment towards ending SGBV, starting with sparking a change in their communities and congregations through sensitization, community engagement activities, mediation, etc.
  • Training Sessions: Two one-day training sessions are scheduled for the last week of January 2025, one in Enugu and the other in Aba, Abia State. The first session focuses on equipping LFCs with knowledge about SGBV prevention, while the second session is tailored for their aides, teaching them record-keeping skills and how to enhance the visibility of anti-SGBV efforts.
  • Media Engagement: During the 16 Days of Activism, WABMA Foundation, in partnership with the UN Women Nigeria, ActionAid Nigeria, WRAPA, and DRPC, and with the support of the Ford Foundation, championed the #16Days16Voices campaign, broadcasting messages from paramount leaders like the Obi of Onitsha, the Emir of Shonga, and the Obong of Calabar. Beyond the 16 Days of Activism, the project strategically employs media—radio, TV, and digital platforms—to amplify the voices of LFCs and raise awareness about their anti-SGBV work.

Geographical Focus

Project VLCF covers three key states in Nigeria’s South East region: Abia, Anambra, and Enugu. These states were selected due to their diverse cultural and religious landscapes, providing a robust foundation for impactful engagement with LFCs.

Why Project VLCF Matters

In many African communities, cultural and faith leaders have afocalplace in shaping mindsets and driving behaviour change. However, their potential remains largely untapped in the fight against SGBV. Project VLCF bridges this gap by empowering these leaders to:

  • Speak out boldly against harmful practices and norms.
  • Mobilize their followers to embrace gender equity and non-violence.
  • Create safe spaces for survivors to seek support and justice.

A Call to Action

The success of Project VLCF hinges on collective effort. The WABMA Media Development Foundation invites everyone—individuals, organizations, and governments—to join hands in amplifying the voices of Leaders of Faith and Culture. Together, we can create a society where SGBV is not just condemned but eradicated.

Stay tuned for updates on this ground-breaking initiative and follow WABMA’s journey as we work towards a future free from violence and inequality.

 

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *