Gender Based Violence refers to harmful acts directed towards an individual based on their gender. During the Covid-19 lockdown, there are several cases of GBV in our communities such ass forced prostitution in order to get money, transactional sex, trafficking adolescent girls and young women to work as sex machines, marital rape and forcing girls to have sex with animals such as dogs.
All these acts cause problems to girls and women in our societies. For example it harms it harms the sexual and reproductive health of the victims, leads to unwanted pregnancies which may also lead to unsafe abortions. It also leads to Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) like sores and wounds on he vagina. It also leads to physical and mental effects eg one is likely to have psychosocial challenges likely to result into suicide.
I advise girls to advocate for their rights and responsibilities in the communities. Girls need to make good and quick decisions in case of such circumstances. Parents should teach children how they should relate with other people within their communities such as uncles, and other male people. Parents should also stop sending girls at night to risky places in order to avoid trafficking them. Parents should give equal opportunities to both girls and boys.
Schools should teach children inter-personal relationship skills, the ways of relating with other people in the society. They should sensitize the children about the dangers of gender-based violence.
The government should put strict laws like life imprisonment for people who perpetuate GBV, it should also sensitize people on the dangers of GBV. Above all, a GBV free country starts with us. Let us all unite and fight gender-based violence in our communities.