Traditional and religious leaders across Taraba State and Nigeria at large have been urged to assist in eliminating practices that promote Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Besides, they were also implored to advocate policies that could end the menace.
The call was made yesterday in Jalingo by the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development during a roundtable with key stakeholders in the Northeast state.
The discussion, which focused on faith and cultural leaders’ roles in ending GBV through advocacy and policy change, was part of the Nigeria and West Africa LEAP project.
Speaking, LEAP Project Officer, Amina Ali, urged cultural and religious leaders in the state to assist in discouraging practices that promote GBV in their domains and worship centres.
This, she said can be achieved by continuous use of the pulpits and palaces to advocate for ending GBV and encouraging positive social norms.
Citing how influential the duo are in the society, Ali, who was of the view that the cultural and religious leaders could break the barriers and allow perpetrators to face the wrath of the law, pleaded with them on the need to assist in sensitising the communities to GBV, deploying scriptures, preachments and sermons.
She pleaded with the influencers to go extra miles in rendering counseling services to survivors of GBV.
Corroborating, the Sultan Foundation Senior Programme Officer, Haruna Aliyu, stressed the need to end violence that are often meted out to people based on their gender.
The roundtable was observed to have heralded the massive presence of prominent leaders from the two major religions, as well as monarchs.
