Miri and Wuntin Dada communities in Bauchi Local Government Area of Bauchi State have staged a rally to end gender-based violence in their communities.

Hashiya Musa, the leader of the women’s group, said at the rally in Miri and Wuntin Dada communities on Thursday that it was aimed to create awareness on violence against women and girls, and measures to overcome the social deviation.

According to her, the goal of this rally is not just to raise awareness amongst the communities about GBV, but also to encourage the communities to work together and take a stance against such violence.

“Awareness is the first step for effective action to eliminate all GBV, communities must engage with each other and stand together in taking action,” Mrs Musa said.

The women leader appreciated  Aid Connect for Development (AidConnect), Actionaid and Women Voice and Leadership for supporting the rally and making it a success.

At end of the rally, there was an interaction programme in the Miri community to engage the participants.

The people were given a platform to talk about their personal experiences, share ideas and provide support in a community setting.

The executive director, AidConnect, Abigail Hardo, encouraged the communities to sustain awareness creation towards ending sexual and GBV in the society.

She said the rally was supported to mark the close out of a 5-year project on GBV in the communities funded by ActionAid.

“We have enlightened residents of these communities and adjoining communities on the effect of GBV and the need for them not to allow their wards to hawk in odd hours as a retentive measure”.

Ms Hardo noted that AidConnect had to include traditional leaders, men, women and young girls in its campaign towards ending SGBV.

“Today we are glad to say that the cases of GBV has greatly reduced in these communities and we are glad we have built the capacity of community structures to sustain the campaign,” she said.

Uba Mohammad and Musa Abubakar, both community leaders, who spoke during the engagement, appreciated the role played by Aidconnect in creating awareness on the effect of SGBV in their communities.

The rally took them through the Miri and Wuntin Dada markets in the communities with the men leading, urging residents to focus on preventing the occurrence of GBV.

(NAN)