Exploitation of women is a global thing, says Ibitoye, IRISE Founder

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Initiative to Resist Institutional Slavery and Exploitation (IRISE) on Wednesday took the One Billion Rising campaign, an initiative for systematic changes towards ending rape, sexual violence and every form of exploitation against women and children, to Seed of Knowledge School in Agor-Palace Way, Lagos, to sensitise and conscientise the students on the dangers of rape, drug abuse and other anti-social vices. The outing was as revealing as it was impactful. SUCCESS DAMIAN reports.  

UN statistics states that one in three women will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. To ameliorate this was part of the reason for the formation of IRISE, formed in 2003 as a non-profit organization for community building, women, girls, children, youths, poverty alleviation and human liberation (Counseling and skill development) as a means to bringing an end to institutional slavery and exploitation.

IRISE works with local and international non-profits, faith base organizations, Community base organizations and local government to educate society on exploitations and oppressions of women, girls and young persons through workshops, Symposia, rally, campaign and conferences.

At Seed of Knowledge, 1 Billion Rising organisers were able to also bring in Youth Coppers to talk to the students. The sensitization was concluded with a roadshow involving the coppers and I Billion Rising team to draw the attention of the public to the need to end exploitation of not just the girl child but those of women and children.

Addressing the students Omodele Ibitoye, Founder, IRISE and coordinator of 1 billion Rising Nigeria said "We are living in a time of upheaval and transformation. Together we have been rising to free women and children from sexual and physical violence in its overt and obvious forms: rape, battery, incest, sexual harassment, female genital mutilation, sexual slavery and trafficking, child marriage, sexual-gender and reproductive oppression and violence toward women. And, we have had many victories.

“As we come into our 7th year of Rising, we are faced with bigger challenges. To end violence against women and children, we must commit ourselves to a deeper examination of violence in all its forms. Along with sexual and physical violence, we must also look at systemic violence in economic, political, socio-cultural, environmental and ideological spheres,” Ibitoye said.

She added that as the world continues to Rise to end violence against women, it is imperative now to expand understanding of women’s oppression and exploitation in the context of capitalism, colonization, racism, imperialism, environmental plunder and war.

Ibitoye said that people must begin to see themselves first as human beings before tribe or religion “We have been compartmentalized and divided for too long. Our Rising must now connect our specific oppression to the common universal humanity that binds us all. This is no less than a way of life, a way of seeing, a way of being in the world.  It is not one day that we rise, but every day that this consciousness must rise in all we do,” Ibitoye stated.

According to Omodele Ibitoye, 1 billion Rising is an organization founded by Eve Ensler, the author of Virginal Monologue in 2012 to rise against rape and all forms of exploitations against women and girls.

Barr. Orjiakor Nathaniel, Director, Seed of Knowledge Schools speaking on rape, drug abuse and social vices said “It is a reality, it happens, and we cannot keep quiet over it. So this kind of advocacy is welcomed and timely. You can be surprised when this children open up and talk to you.

“In a school like this we have zero tolerance for any form of habit. Our slogan here is don’t keep quiet, because evil thrive when people keep quiet. So we train our children to speak out. When you see something, say something,” Orjiakor stated.

Emma Macaulay a member of 1Billion Rising said, “We target schools because that is where the major havoc is being done and that is where we can educate the students about the advantage and disadvantage of these drugs, how they can stay away from drugs. The school is where we meet them; that is where they meet their friends, talk about it, discuss it and want to do it and by the time they get back home they want to try what they learnt in school. So we coming here in school is to educate them and let them know the importance of staying out of drugs.”

Mojisola Favour Akpezi, another member of 1 Billion Rising said the group is making progress “It is work in progress, today we talked to about 300 students of Seed of Knowledge, apart from the Coppers. 1 billion rising is achievable and that is the reason we target the younger generation because once they are aware, as they grow they will carry it on, so it is like a legacy.”

Miss Ochi Salome, a youth Copper serving in Ejigbo area of Lagos, stated that sex abuse and drug abuse are a major challenge facing Nigeria today. “It has affected a lot of the female gender, in productivity and in their emotions because when their emotion is down, productivity is low. This is an awareness programme, and this is one of the platforms we can use to reduce it to the barest minimum.

“I want to use this opportunity to commend the organisers of this programme. Due to sex abuse we lost a girl, Ochanya to the cold hand of death in Benue State in 2018. The uncle abused her for seven good years from age six; if she were already matured, she would have been pregnant for him. The man denied it, but the man’s wife was ashamed of him and ran aware with their son. The girl died, nobody knew if God’s design was for her to be president of this country, but we lost her.”

Serena Nwamarari, an SS3 student speaking on how the sensitization outing in her school would impact on her life and that of other students said, ‘The event today is targeted at the youth because we are the ones to go into the world, when you go to a place you don’t know you have to navigate to find your feet, know your left from your right. Now with this sensitization, if we go out, we are going like individuals that know where they are heading to. The sensitization today has given us a sense of direction.”