While community paralegals continued with sensitization and education, the first half of December was dedicated to the celebration of the 16 days of Activism. CHRAPA joined the International Community and participated in several activities dedicated for these celebrations.
On the 07/12/2019, at the Mondial hotel Conference Hall, CHRAPA organized a training of 36 traditional leaders and women leaders in the NW Region. This training included UN Women representative, quarter heads, men leaders, other CSOs and women leaders. This was to commemorate the 16 days of activism and also set up an action plan to STAMP OUT GBV in the NW Region during this crisis period. The reason for the selection of Traditional Leaders and women leaders is because Traditional Leaders especially are custodians of
traditions in the NW region and they are the ones who at time propagate malpractices that promote GBV like depriving women rights to own land, widows maltreatment and deprivation to inherit husband’s property, female genital mutilations etc. And the women leaders also are those who implement some of the bad policies on GBV on their fellow women like forcing widows to move barefooted for a period, not wearing dresses for a period, even Female Genital Mutilation. Thus involving these groups of persons to sensitize and educate them GBV was just so timely. At the end of the training the following resolutions/plan was arrived at:
Resolutions of the women Group leaders came out with the following ways to combat GBV
- To sensitize the communities on meeting days, in the church, njangi groups, quarter meetings on GBV and all its forms.
- They should also use the social medial on maybe all their forums to talk about GBV that is on their whatsapp groups etc.
- The women should teach sex education to their children at home, their various meetings and also educating other parents to their male and female children in separate rooms.
- Sensitization should also take place in schools, teaching the children to be one another’s keeper.
- To always create awareness about GBV and the Consequences on our children, the men, women, communities and the society.
- To mobilize youths to match in the quarter in case of a child marriage and other covered forms of GBV in our communities.
- Encourage our people to speak out especially on incest.
- They should report of refer cases to the right quarters
- You should be a focal person in your own community
- Women should continually be sensitized on their rights to also inform them about NGOS work on GBV Cases like, CHRAPA, LOU, MDM, CBC etc
Resolutions from the Fons of the NW Region
- They worked on the role of traditional \leaders in Combating Gender Based Violence and proposals to prevent GBV
- They agreed to educate their subjects of GBV. That they will in some of their sessions carry out educational talks on the subject.
- They will ensure to enforce that women are represented in their respective traditional councils.
- That they will discourage bad cultural practices in their communities such as FGM, high bride price etc.
- They agreed to set up paralegal offices in their communities
- They said they will create radio slots in their community radios on GBV
- They agreed to take out time to talk about GBV during their cultural General meetings
- They will also motivate those who report the perpetuators of GBV
