WARIF marked its 16 Days of Activism Campaign with a Dialogue & the No Tolerance March | Here’s a Recap

Every year, the 16 Days of Activism campaign reminds people that every child, man, and woman out there is at risk of facing one form of violence or another, irrespective of race, tribe, or religion.

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until December 10th, Human Rights Day.

This year’s theme is UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls.

As part of the 16 Days of Activism Campaign activities, the WARIF Dialogue and the WARIF No Tolerance March were held in commemoration of the 16 Days of activism to raise awareness on gender-based violence and the power of uniting to say No Tolerance to all forms of violence against women and girls in the different societies around the world.

The Annual WARIF NO TOLERANCE MARCH Campaign
For three consecutive years, the Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF) has led a campaign to advocate for zero tolerance for rape, and sexual and gender-based violence.

The No Tolerance Campaign aims to raise awareness of this menace in Nigeria and bring together individuals, organizations, and public figures to lend their voices in the fight against sexual and gender-based violence through virtual campaigns and the No Tolerance March.

The impact of the No Tolerance March (NTM) has increased a great deal. With the support of local and international partners, the 2021 NTM was held in five cities across five continents – Lagos, New York, London, Sydney, and Bangkok; with over 1,500 men and women participating in Lagos alone, including top officials like the United States Consular General to Lagos, the First Lady of Lagos State, the First Lady of Ogun State, the Deputy British High Commissioner amongst other. They also recorded a reach of over nine million virtually.

This is huge progress from their maiden edition in 2019 which was held in Lagos alone. Following the success of the 3rd Edition of the No Tolerance March, WARIF held the 4th Edition of the WARIF No Tolerance March in 8 cities across the world. From Lagos to Abuja, to London, Dallas, Houston, and New York, to Cape Town and Frankfurt.

In Lagos, the march was across the Lekki/Ikoyi link bridge and kicked off with a welcome address from the United States Consular General to Lagos, Will Stevens, recognizing the need for more initiatives such as the No Tolerance March and, stating that 1 in 3 women would have experienced one form of sexual violence before the age of 18.

He commended WARIF for the tremendous initiative and encouraged everyone present to continue the fight against gender-based violence.

The annual event was held on Saturday, December 3rd brought together thought leaders and dignitaries from private and government institutions such as the First Lady of Ogun State; Bamidele Abiodun, Senator Daisy Danjuma, alongside CSOs and families of WARIF came out to support and say No Tolerance to the violence of any form.

WARIF Founder, Dr. Kemi DaSilva Ibru also spoke about the importance of the March stating.

The Important of a yearly march cannot be over-emphasized as survivors are ostracized and scared to speak out because of the culture of shame, patriarchy, and other harmful cultural practices. She also stated that the No Tolerance March was birthed out of the need to give survivors the right to have their voices heard, to be given safe platforms to speak and get help.

The 4th Edition of the 2022 No Tolerance March was a huge success with over 1,000 people in attendance, uniting to say No Tolerance to all forms of gender-based violence in Nigeria. They believe that this is a game changer in ending violence against women and girls as it is our collective responsibility to ensure that our society is a safer place for all.

Women’s Rights = Human Rights. Are we there yet?
In commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism and following the success of the Maiden Edition of the WARIF Dialogue, the 2nd WARIF Dialogue brought together thought leaders in the gender-based violence space and advocates of gender equality across different parts of the world.

WARIF hosted the 2nd WARIF dialogue, to discuss issues and views on assessing how far along women’s rights have come and the key priorities that should shape policy, law, and culture, toward achieving the global goal of gender equality.

Thought leaders such as the Country Representative for the United Nations Population Fund, Ulla Mueller spoke on the rights of women and how far women are from accessing and living in their full fundamental rights.

In her words:

As women, we have gone a distance, but we are still constrained by the fact that women are not in control of their bodies, therefore automatically affecting the decision-making and fundamental human rights.

The WARIF Dialogue is an annual engagement that brings together thought leaders and leading advocates with interests in the impact of gender and women’s rights and empowerment space to discuss and highlight emerging issues of women’s rights and the adverse impact of inequality as seen in our society today.

The aim of this conversation was targeted at advancing the gender equality agenda and the rights of women and girls, leading to solutions for a future where all women can live in a society free of violence, discrimination, and bias. Gender-Based Violence is the most pervasive form of human rights violation affecting men and women and all nations across the world.

Women at Risk International Foundation, (WARIF) is a non-profit organization, established to raise awareness and address the prevalence of rape, sexual violence, and trafficking of young girls and women in communities across Nigeria.

This the foundation achieves through the development and implementation of a series of initiatives that are impactful, measurable, and sustainable, targeting both the intervention/treatment of these affected women, as well as providing preventive measures to reduce the high incidence.

The foundation seeks to redress the adverse effects seen because of Gender-Based Violence.

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BellaNaija is a media partner for WARIF