CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
An International Non-Governmental Organization, Leadership Initiative For Youth Empowerment (LIFE), has began project review of their activities on Gender Based Violence, GBV, Female Genital Mutilation, FGM and Maternal Morbidity for the past three years in view in Lagos State.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that this came to the fore during the press conference held on 8th April, 2025, at their Secretariat in Ago Okota, Lagos, which was attended by some selected media houses for the review.
The event was attended by the Executives Director of LIFE, Mrs. Abiodun Rufus Unegbu, Crisis Care coordinator, Ms Laura Moore and the programme officer, Mokwe Oluwatoyin and staff members of LIFE.
While presenting the project review, the programme officer, Ms Oluwatoyin explained that LIFE’s project was ffor advocacy and to empower the girl child including other vulnerable females by sensitization them on gender-based violence (GBV), female genital mutilation (FGM), and maternal morbidity, which has been a huge success for the past three years.
However, she noted that the NGO encountered certain challenges despite the progressive development with a wide range of outreaches to communities in the rural and urban areas of Lagos State.
Oluwatoyin, shortly known as Toyin, stated that LIFE’s projects are focused on amplifying the voice of females by empowering the girl child and other vulnerable women on issues of Gender-Based Violence, Human rights, Leadership skills and economic empowerment.
She explained that the strategies used was through advocacy, sensitization, innovative awareness, research and outreach.
“In the past three years in review, LIFE has worked on issues around GBV, FGM and reducing the maternal morbility rate caused by unsafe abortion. However, due to the limited information and lack of knowledge in the society on knowing one’s right to justice, especially in the remote communities, LIFE created sensitization programs that revolved around understanding the concept of GBV and its binding laws in the society “
Toyin narrated an account on the work experience on the societal approach to situations of GBV, where a woman badly beaten by her husband and how the law enforcement agency maligned the group when the matter was reported to the Police despite the fact that LIFE advocates stepped into the matter to seek justice for the victim. She also narrated the attitude of the society concerning seeking for justice for the victim and the landlord described the situation where a woman invited the law enforcement officers to arrest the perpetrator as having committed an abomination and directed the woman not to return to the same house where the incident happened which can be linked to inadequate information on ‘Know your rights for justice’ and ‘Do not die in silence.’
Toyin also spoke on the LIFE sensitization projects on maternal morbidity, stating that the research shows that Nigeria has one of the highest rates of unsafe abortions in the world, with unwanted pregnancies as the root cause.
She stated that a Medical Doctor once mentioned that over 200 cases of organ damage due to unsafe abortion are recorded yearly.
“Moreover, during specific sensitization programs for youths on unsafe abortion, an attendee once attested to being in collaboration with her other female colleagues at the JSS level to provide a pregnant friend with concoctions to terminate a pregnancy, which ended badly as the victim ended up losing her womb.”
Also speaking on sensitization on maternal morbidity caused by unsafe abortions, the Managing Director of LIFE, Abiodun Rufus-Unegbu, confirmed that the organization has been able to reach a large audience on issues arising from unsafe abortions leading to maternal morbidity by sensitization programs, thereby giving comprehensive analysis on sexuality education.
“Through the sensitization programme Parents were encouraged to be friends with their children to enable healthy discussions on sex and should shun religious and sentimental ways of treating a sexually active child but instead teach them to stay faithful to partner and prevent self by using medically recommended preventive measures to avoid unwanted pregnancies leading to unsafe abortions.”
Abiodun explained that young girls need to be educated on the menstrual cycle and how sexual activities can lead to unwanted pregnancies.
“Peer pressure can be a big factor in shaping a child’s mentality; hence, they needed guidance of the parents through open discussions. There is a need to strike a balance between being too hard or soft with the children; if the parents do not educate their teenagers, the internet will, and what the internet teaches might not align with their family values. The youths and teenagers make irrational decisions; hence, the need for continuous sensitization to make informed decisions” Mrs. Rufus-Unegbu noted.
On the issue of GBV, Mrs. Abiodun Rufus-Unegbu revealed that LIFE has led sensitization to the grassroots over the years with testimonies of improved outcomes in GBV cases. She stated that the organization is presently working with several support groups at the grassroots level and has advanced to creating measures to support the mental well-being of survivors of GBV during and after crisis.
She also explained that LIFE project is deeply rooted in communities ncluding Isolo, Ejigbo, Oshodi and other areas in Lagos State.
“The justice system in Nigeria is favorable to a few people; hence, LIFE’s initiative to breach the gap by helping vulnerable survivors get justice. While a survivor awaits justice, psychosocial support is provided through the crisis management team of LIFE, solely dedicated to enabling survivors to share their issues to ease their minds; a room with calming facilities has been established to that effect.”
The crisis care coordinator, Laura Moore, who is in charge of the psychosocial support for vulnerable survivors to help them cope mentally while awaiting justice emphasized the importance of sensitization and support for the vulnerable persons and for the society to lend their support to the victims.
