GENDER EQUALITY AND EMERGENCY RESPONSES

GENDER EQUALITY AND EMERGENCY RESPONSES

On GENDER EQUALITY AND EMERGENCY RESPONSES 

  1. SMACI in its project Integrated Response for HIV/AIDS and GBV Prevention and control in an emergency and conflict situation (SHARP TO1) USAID Funded project SMACI  supported 317 survivor and Provide Psychosocial, physiological, clinical and legal support to 230 survivors women and children affected by Sexual Gender base violence in 9 LGAs of Zamfara state

Integrated Response for HIV/AIDS and GBV Prevention and control in an emergency and conflict situation SHARP TO 01 Project is focus on increasing awareness and knowledge about Gender-Based Violence, GBV, promoting healthy behaviour’s including risk avoidance, HIV counselling, and testing services and improving referrals and linkages to care and treatment services as well as Provision of Pre-exposure Prophylaxis services thus contributing to the projects objective of providing high quality and effective high-impact, evidence-based GBV interventions to meet Nigeria’s state/LGA-specific goals.

In other to achieved above milestones indicators SMACI conducted the following Key activities in project implementation: Advocacy visits, to relevant stakeholder, Recruitment and training of 6 Outreach officer, 12 health educators, 24 Change agent/focal person, Daily Outreach, Weekly safe space sessions for SGBV survivors and their family, Community awareness/session on SGBV, Forum for individual affected men and women, monthly coordination Meetings with organizations providing GBV services Including security agencies in the state  , coaching and mentoring of health workers providing services to victims and outreach supervisions, feedback meeting with survivors and their family. However, the project implementation comes with many challenges due to insecurity in Zamfara state. The above mention activities were conducted for the progress of the project throughout the implementation period.

Despite the security challenges in some of the project communities the project has recorded a tremendous success with regards to number of SGBV cases recorded and number of survivors   enrolled for health education and skill development. Cumulatively, from the project inception May, 2021 to end Date November, 2021. SMACI Supported 230 SGBV Survivor with different service in Zamfara and follow up with the 150 Survivors for advices on health condition, emotional support, Building the relationships of 12 families resolving their issues, Referred 4 survivors to the hospitals for Mental Health and psychological support and supported 45 survivors with Non Food Items cloths, soaps under wears, Vaseline and slippers in the implementation of the project. SMACI Successfully delivered the following Result:

  • Identified Referred 230 SGBV cases and all of them received accurate information about available services with up-to-date and accurate information about any services and support parson.
  • SMACI has achieved its target or even surpassed its target
  • Follow up with 192 Survivors for advices on Health condition, relationship, Family Issues School drop-out due to stigma
  • All the 230 survivors received medical support including counseling

To date 6 perpetrators are convicted and 8 are at the state CID office for legal action

SMACI has achieve its target on Linkages or even surpassed its target

Follow up with 192 Survivors for advices on Health condition, relationship, Family Issues

Referred 4 survivor to the hospitals for Mental Health and psychological support

Engage16 Organization and Agencies providing SGBV service and support

  • Sensitization of 300 Men and Women to know their children right in terms of SGBV
  • Sensitizes/ Identify 14 in charges at Tsafe LGA for accompanying of survivors to nearest facility 
  • Effective monthly coordination/ awareness meeting with stakeholders
  • Enrolment of 89 SGBV survivors by peers in to a group and Formations of 6 forums for GBV survivor and their Families, 1 additional forum for the Men on protecting and supporting SGBV Survivor
  • Empowering GBV survivor and their Families to advocate shift on policies, support, services and justices
  • Linking 14 SGBV survivor to Safe space of Min for women affairs and SAC center
  • Creating

Successfully refer 192 SGVB survivor for Health Education at SAC center, General Hospital Tsafe Kaura and King Fahad SAC center Gusau

Successfully conducted 4 session on skill development to the Survivor and their Family reaching 154 people in Gusau Tsafe and Kaura Namoda LGA

Linked 331 Survivors Ministry for women affairs UNAEP center and Sexual Assault Centre (SAC) Human Right for supported and Helping them overcome trauma and social stigma, Psychosocial support and Help survivor/victim to understand the legal options & necessary steps to pursue justice.

 Follow up with the 254 Survivor for health education and making referrals on any other Issues

  • Successfully deliver the following modules to the SSGBV Survivor:
  • Managing Complicit and SGBV
  • Shame or not shame
  • Barrier
  • You are Not Alone
  • Dow way to our dream
  • Saving goals


II. SMACI improvement in gender equality owning to REACH intervention  

Gender equality remains a challenge as culture, traditions and religion influence beliefs, practices and behaviours, creating patriarchal systems that are deep-rooted. In all the states patriarchal system creates a power imbalance often resulting in intimate partner violence, CEFM, other cases of exploitation and abuse (including child labour, hawking) and the increasing number of street kids (‘’almajiri practices’’).

SMACI integrated gender equality messages into all project strategies and activities to promote behaviour changes around gender relations. This has had a remarkable impact on dismantling the strong patriarchal system. There is evidence of early but slow adoption of the gender equality behaviours in the project communities but with little changes at the state level.

On a wider scale, achieving gender inequality still remains a challenge in the Northern states - sometimes owning to religious misinterpretation and individual preferences. Largely, adolescent participation in safe spaces and application of the learning at home is changing the landscape in family relations and the burden of care. This allows for support towards the attainment of personal goals and aspirations, especially for girls. There are documented stories of change evidencing parents’ commitment and actions to support the aspirations of their daughters (shared as stories of change accompanying this report). In this project reporting period, the REACH team proactively worked with communities to address gender discrimination and inequalities among adolescents. Targeted advocacy and campaigns were implemented through global events like the International Youth Day (IYD), Day of the African child, and International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, to raise awareness of the implications of gender inequalities and recommended alternative practices.  Similar strategic advocacy efforts were targeted at the policymakers and government functionaries to ensure that they will develop and implement gender equality policies and legislations.

Project activities promoted the active involvement of women and adolescent girls by creating spaces and opportunities for expression while also showcasing women's and girls’ leadership to increase awareness of gender equality. As part of the strategy to promote community-wide gender equality behaviours and promotion of positive gender norms, key influencers and power holders were identified, selected and trained as change agents. Most of these change agents have low educational status but are highly influential, being respected religious and community leaders in their respective communities. The change agent step down training was conducted with homogenous groups of religious and traditional leaders (RTLs; F-28 and M-52) (Adolescents F-40 and M-40) to create free spaces for expression and learning. At the end of the 3 days training for men,participants had a better understanding of gender equality principles and how to practice them. Furthermore, participants also committed to immediately addressing their own family-level gender inequalities and leading the campaign in their constituencies. 

In the fulfilment of the change agents’ promises, massive awareness activities were conducted in their places of worship (Churches and Mosques). For example, gender equality content was integrated into sermon notes (with scriptural references), community meetings and ceremonies. (This was an unexpected outcome, and beneficiary numbers were not recorded at this stage. 

                                  

The expected gender equality behaviour changes (such as joint household decision making, acceptance of women’s SRH rights, supporting girl-child education and reduction in CEFM) are progressing slowly, but there is already some shift from the previous practices. More men are actively engaging with each other on the need for equality, on giving women spaces to have their voices heard, and allowing their daughters to go back to school. Activities based on the CHOICES curriculum, facilitated by trained community-based facilitators in safe spaces, allow VYA boys and girls to understand that both males and females have dreams and hopes in life that are equally achievable if they have the same opportunities and chances.. The lessons learned during the safe spaces have empowered adolescents to clarify their dreams and aspirations and actually speak out about them and gain the support of their parents.

  • Reduced Child Labour and its effect on child education: In Galadima, Gwaram, communities (Talata Mafara and Kaura Namoda LGAs) in Zamfara state, a significant number of boys and gilrs that are out of school. This is due to many reasons, but primarily to their engagement in economic activities (which can even lead to dropouts due to frequent relocations to other communities for farming and livestock business). This cycle continues and limits education opportunities for adolescents both boys and girl in this community. Improvement of school enrolment, attainment for boys in the community and other contributions to ending child labour. 
  • Reduced Child Early and Forced Marriage (CEFM): CEFM remains one of the big issues in the communities affecting girls’ education and their achievement of life dreams. It is leading to a continuous cycle of poverty of girls that are denied opportunities in life. Through the safe spaces, adolescent boys and girls have been trained, encouraged and informed about the importance of human rights and especially gender equality. They have been supported and guided on how to speak up when their rights are denied and when they feel threatened by decisions that affect their wellbeing (like being forced into marriages) and to support each other by speaking up on behalf of one another (especially boys speaking up on behalf of girls).REACH has contributed to increased demand for education by the adolescents in target LGAs. School enrolment data was 35% higher compared to other LGAs. 
  • Increasing, more girls to speaking out against early marriage, through the learning sessions from CHOICES safe spaces, as documented in the stories of change. The transformational CHOICES curriculum is promoting positive attitudes, believes and behaviours of VYA girls and boys regarding gender relations in their communities. Many of the adolescent boys who participated in the CHOICES safe spaces now participate in domestic chores alongside their sisters and mothers.

They have become more conscious of the importance of working together with their female siblings and understand the need for their sisters to realize their hopes and dreams.