A picture of all participants on Day 1 of the Summit including the NGYouthSDGs Programmes Associate, Boluwatife Ajayi.
As a member of the Gender Justice Community of Practice, NGYouthSDGs participated in the 2-day annual learning summit which focused on the theme ‘The Intersectionality of Gender and Mental Health: A Reflection on the Impact of Gender Based Violence on Mental Health.’ The Summit, supported by Voice and Cognito witnessed the gathering of several civil society organisations and private individuals in Abuja, Nigeria.
The learning summit kicked off with goodwill messages from the National Orientation Agency, The Ministry of Health, Voice, and Oxfam Nigeria all commending the Gender Justice Community of Practice. Rosemary Adajoh, Chair of the Gender Justice Community of Practice gave the welcome address and placed emphasis on the fact that with collaboration and partnerships, several issues such as Gender-based violence, and mental health can be addressed and platforms like the summit serve as a way to deepen knowledge on GBV and its impact on mental health and uplift survivors.
A picture of Rosemary Adajoh, Chair of Gender Justice Community of Practice giving the welcome address.
The Summit followed up with a keynote address on the theme taken by Associate Professor of Medical Sociology, Gender and Sexual Studies, Patricia Awa Jerome-Taiwo. In her address, she explored the complexity of gender beyond biological differences which includes a social construction and expectations of the society of a male or female individual. The common perspective of mental health is that of an ‘evil omen’ which must be dismantled and a new opinion on mental health must be driven to enable openness to seek help and have a mental health evaluation without shame or possibility of facing stigma from the society. She followed up with the types of Gender-based violence (GBV) which are physical, psychological, sexual and economic violence. Its effects on mental health leading to mental disorders, death, damaged relationships and much more.
A picture of Dr Patrica Awe Jerome-Taiwo taking the keynote address on the Summit theme
Flowing from above, Dr Patricia explained that GBV affects not just the mental health of survivors but also people like family members who have to witness or hear their experiences. GBV is a violation of fundamental human rights, however, a lot of victims are unaware that their human rights have been violated. This ignorance coupled with the intentional silence of GBV by some families has enhanced GBV and fostered mental health issues for survivors who are unable to get justice and support. As a way forward, Dr Patricia recommended awareness of GBV and mental health, protection for survivors, ‘silence the silencer’ of GBV, and implementing sanctions for GBV perpetrators.
The Summit had a panel discussion on Exploring the Impact of Gender-based Violence (GBV) on Mental Health. The panellists Aisha Barde, Dr Patricia Awa Jerome-Taiwo, Dr Bowei Ndudi, Madozie Obinna and Cedric Owuru discussed existing social norms and highlighted the dangers of GBV which leads to demoralisation, anxiety, fear and loss of human dignity in the lives of victims. The discussion also spotlighted the challenges faced by some GBV survivors who also double as Persons living with Disabilities (PWDs, which emphasises the need to protect the human rights of all survivors. In addition to the discussion, panellists spoke about the existence of violence not just in homes but also within the workplace with boss-subordinate oppression and the need for employees to be vigilant and channel complaints on time and via the proper channel to ensure compliance and documentation of abuse.
An expert presentation was also presented by Ms Joy Okosa who shed light on Trauma-Informed Approaches to Supporting Survivors of GBV. In her presentation, she defined trauma as a deeply depressing or disturbing experience that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope, leaving them with lasting emotional, psychological and sometimes physical effects. Some of the approaches to supporting GBV survivors include creating an emotionally and physically safe environment, understanding trauma and violence, as well as its impacts, providing capacity-building approaches in supporting coping mechanisms, driving collaboration with other trustworthy parties and incorporating effective listening.
To enlighten participants on Gender-based Violence in a visual presentation, a drama was displayed that centred on domestic violence between a married couple leading to the death of the wife and the daughter of the family becoming a GBV activist. The drama was a method of urging individuals to speak out against the culture of silence and GBV and seek intervention.
Snapshots of our Programmes Associate Boluwatife Ajayi participating in a drama presentation in line with gender and mental health.
Day one of the Learning Summit ended with participants sharing their reflections from the various sessions. Some of the shared key takeaways include:
- Trauma can be experienced from listening to or witnessing the stories of GBV victims.
- There is a culture of silence on victims of GBV which needs to be exposed and addressed.
- As much as women often bear the brunt of GBV, men also suffer from GBV and now at an alarming rate.
- GBV perpetrators should also undergo mental health evaluation and counselling while observing punishment. The goal is not to kill but to rehabilitate.
Day Two of the Learning Summit
A snapshot of NGYouthSDGs Programme Associate, Boluwatife Ajayi and other participants at Day-2 of the workshop.
The second day of the learning summit began with a round of recap from the participants and moderation of the session by the M.C Mr Okoli and Ms Confidence. The first session on the agenda was facilitated by Barrister Bukola Ajao and gave insights on Nigeria’s Legal Framework and Policies on Gender and National Mental Health Act, 2021. The objectives of the Act is to promote and protect the human rights of persons with mental health conditions, provide continuous care, facilitate suicide prevention strategy, educate, train and increase awareness of mental health interventions, promote research, and data collection and promote access to information.
In reviewing the Act and proffering recommendations, it was noted that there are not enough mental health services and most of the services focus on the drug rehabilitation aspect. It is critical to create a gender policy that will mainstream gender equality into all programs. This will mean opportunities are not limited to just men or women without a genuine or valid reason. Synergy and collaboration between stakeholders is equally important to enable the Act to be implemented as expected.
Chinedu Okoli spoke on enhancing the well-being and self-care of GBV interventionists in the workplace. He explored the various challenges that are often faced in the workplace which include verbal abuse and harassment, depriving a person of promotion and hiring more men than women to prevent maternity breaks. He emphasised well-being as wellness of the body, mind and spirit and for interventionists to support survivors, they must first be mentally and physically well. He recommended self-care and taking time to rest, rejuvenate and speak to people as a way of easing work stress.
A cross-section of participants at the Summit
Participants during the session highlighted common institutional barriers affecting advocacy of GBV and community-driven approaches to promote awareness.
Barriers:
- Gender norms
- Culture of silence
- Lack of adequate facilities
- Religious beliefs
- Poverty/Lack of funding
- Unreliability of healthcare services
- Ignorance
Community-driven approaches:
- Engage community centres in creating awareness programs
- Family is a social unit and should be used to raise awareness on GBV and its dangers
- NGOs and CSOs are instrumental in driving advocacy
- Provision of free services to survivors
- Sensitisation and advocacy training
Rosemary Adajoh also made a presentation on Strategies for Advocacy and Policy Change in Gender-responsive Mental Health Care. She defined advocacy as influencing decision-making with the goals of developing and establishing or changing policies. It is an action directed at changing the policies, attitudes and values. Advocacy is a set of actions targeted at decision-makers.
Advocacy campaign. She expressed that through collaboration and partnership, more grounds can be covered. It is important to share your ideas, create an advocacy action plan with clear and smart objectives and seek out people to partner with you on your advocacy journey.
Participants shared their learnings from the session and the closing remarks were taken by Ms Cassandra from Voice who commended the work of the community of Practice and for influencing actions to drive change and building the strength and capacity of rights holders. She also thanked participants for taking time to learn and share their experiences to enable growth. The summit ended with pictures taken of all participants and the organising committee.
