By Christian Ogbonna
The European Union-UN (EU-UN) Spotlight Initiative has trained 48 adolescent girls on life skills.
The training is part of efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls in the Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi.
The three-day training, organised by the Ebonyi Directorate of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) with support from the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative and UNICEF, was held in Onicha-Igboeze.
The NOA/UNICEF Desk Officer, Mr Uchenna Unah, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after the training on Monday, that the girls were trained on life skills to become change agents in the bvid to end all forms of violence against the female folks in the area.
Unah said the training targeted the girls on how to tackle violence, including assault, sexual harassment and other forms of ill-treatment from men.
“This is a three-day programme and we rounded it up today. We trained the adolescent girls on life skills they need to survive.
“Life skills include refusal skills and capacity to stand and face challenges in any given situation in the society.
“The participants were selected from the eight communities that made up Onicha Local Government Area.
“They have been trained on how to talk to their peers and that is what we call peer education. We expect them to talk to their peers when they go back,” he added.
Dr Desmond Onwo, NOA Director in the state who was represented by Mr Victor Okike, said the agency had been up and doing in the campaign to eradicate all forms of violence in the state.
Onwo said various groups had been trained in categories in Ebonyi councils, including Ohaozara, Abakaliki, Ezza-South, Onicha and Afikpo, amongst others.
He urged traditional rulers, community heads and women leaders to do away with such harmful practices and culture that were not good.
“We have been working hard to strengthen campaign in all communities and we are having a lot of success.
“We have been meeting with traditional rulers, religious leaders, women groups, surveillance groups and the youth in order to eliminate those harmful social norms around GBV, Child Marriage and FGM in Ebonyi State,” he added.
Mrs Ijeoma Mike-Ajawachukwu, representative of Ebonyi Ministry of Justice, also called for the need to protect the rights of women and girls in the society.
She described the event as necessary for having imparted skills on how to communicate on issues, including the use of body language.
“They have learnt a lot on how to protect themselves against violence. You should know that your not sending your daughter to school is violence against her and a violation of the law.
“There is the need to abolish early marriage and child-labour in the society,” she said.
The facilitators, Idara Effiong and Asari Nakanda, said the training was successful and commended EU-UN Spotlight Initiative and UNICEF on the programme.
They expressed optimism that the girls were equipped with the necessary life skills they needed to survive in the society.
A participant, Divine Moses, a Junior Secondary School Student, also thanked both NOA and the international organisations for bringing up the programme.
She promised to utilise the knowledge she acquired. (NAN)
