Ekiti Gov’s wife, Dr Oyebanji enlists support of male students against Gender-Based Violence
Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji, has enlisted school age boys in the fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) to prevent the menace among students in the state.
Speaking in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday while delivering an address at the Training of Male Students on Gender-Based Violence Prohibition in Public Secondary Schools in the state, Dr. Oyebanji stressed that male students needed to be equipped with basic knowledge on the menace to curb it in society
She noted that the battle against the scourge of Gender-Based Violence in schools in particular and the society in general may not be totally won if schoolboys are not given the right orientation and enlightenment on its evils
The training which was sponsored by the World Bank assisted Adolescent Girls’ Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) was attended by school administrators, teachers, officials of Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Ministry of Education, among others.
Dr. Oyebanji emphasized that it was of utmost importance to adequately educate the male child on the prevention of violence to prevent abuse of fellow students in schools especially girls and to ensure a peaceful society devoid of gender violence.
She said, “all the efforts to make our schools and community spaces safe for our female students cannot be effective until the male gender is adequately trained on the causes and effects of their choices and actions.”
She further encouraged the participating students not to be selfish with knowledge acquired at the training but rather share with friends and neighbours to aid desired violence free society.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Science and Technology, Dr. Adebimpe Aderiye, said the government is working out modalities to ensure a brighter future for the young ones, urging them to reciprocate the gesture by being passionate and obedient to good counselling.
Also, the state AGILE Coordinator, Mrs. Yewande Adesua, encouraged the students to make judicious use of the training and focus their attention both on their studies and other moral lessons.
In their goodwill messages, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Sola Adeluyi, her counterpart from the Teaching Service Commission, Mr Michael Omolayo and state ASUSS Chairman, Sola Adigun who commended the state government for carrying the boys along, said it was dangerous to limit GBV training to girls alone hence the need to keep the boys aware of the menace.
During the training session, the resource persons, Mrs. Layo Olawoye, a sex educator and Prof. Babatunde Olofinbiyi, from Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital took the participants through preventable measures against all activities that could affect their future negatively while attaining puberty age.
The trainers discouraged them against early sexual habits, infatuation, masturbation, harassment of the opposite sex among others.
