'16 days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence” campaign.

Over the years, BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights (BAOBAB) joins the rest of the world to organize and take part in activities to mark the “16 days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence” campaign. BAOBAB sees violence against women as an issue that goes beyond race, class, religion and continents. This is a situation that affects not just one woman in her little space but every woman across the world. Our mission is to promote and protect women’s human rights principally via improving knowledge, exercise and development of rights under the customary statutory and religious laws in Nigeria.
The “16 days…” campaign provides the space for BAOBAB to further advocate and sensitize various stakeholders on the negative effects of Gender Based Violence and also to promote the work of women who risk their lives trying to protect the lives of other women.
Our activities and specific areas of focus for this year’s campaign include:
A press briefing on Gender Based Violence: the need for the Media as well as other stakeholders to act and demand a stop to it.
• Street drama/Popular theatre to highlight the ills of Gender based violence at the popular Oshodi Commercial Bus Stop environs in Lagos state, Nigeria.
• A rally with the network of ‘Men Against Violence Against Women (MAVAW)’, and dissemination of anti- Gender Based Violence materials and stickers.
• Street drama/Popular theatre to highlight the ills of Gender Based Violence at 2 schools in the Apapa Local Government Area of Lagos state, Nigeria.
• There will also be various activities organized by four (4) of BAOBAB’s community based volunteer outreach teams (Osun, Taraba, Borno and Zamfara states) in the respective states to mark the campaign.

The choice of these locations in Lagos State (Apapa Local Government Area and Oshodi Bus Stop) is born out of the need to see a change in these areas especially Oshodi in particular, which has a high rate of violence against women due to the social activities that take place there such as petty trading, commercial vehicle activities, and so forth. The choice of Apapa Local Government Area however is based on BAOBAB’s style of reaching a wider coverage as this is an area that is usually over looked in the course of women’s human rights interventions.

We hope to, with these activities, achieve a better public awareness of Gender-Based Violence and more commitment by the general public towards making a change!