The President of ZONTA Club Two, Mrs. ENIOLA OYEDELE, has called on the media to intensify efforts in creating more awareness aimed at ending all forms of digital violence against women and girls.
Speaking at a press conference jointly organized by ZONTA Clubs One and Two at the Zonta House Jericho Ibadan, Mrs. OYEDELE strongly condemned every form of digital abuse, noting that cyber bullying, online harassment, body shaming, and harmful digital threats continue to affect the lives, dignity and mental wellbeing of countless women and girls across the world.
According to her, the media remains one of the most powerful tools in shaping public awareness and must play a leading role in advocating for a safe digital space where women can participate without fear or intimidation.
In her words “Violence is not until you physically slap somebody but when you malign people you’re actually violating the person
‎Today, we have invited you to help us to create more awareness,to let the members of the public to know that this kind of practice is not acceptable,it should not be happening and we have to fight it.”
Also speaking at the event, the president of ZONTA Club One, Mrs CHRISTIANNA NNANA, encouraged women who are suffering in silence in abusive relationships or hostile environments to gather the courage to speak out and seek support instead of dying in silence.
Mrs. NNANA emphasized that the 16 days of activism which start today Tuesday 25th of November and end on 10th of December is a worldwide campaign created to raise a collective voice against violence and to sensitize communities on the importance of reaching out for help, reporting harmful behavior and protecting themselves, especially the vulnerable girl child who often face multiple layers of digital abuse.
In her words “There is this fear they have in them, if I leave my marriage what will the society say.
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‎As a parent we even have issues,when our children are passing through violence in their home instead of us to encourage them leave and come back home we’ll say ahhh we want to spoil the name of the family so we need to fight the fear and stop because you die people will talk, you’re alive people will talk whatever that makes you happy go for it.
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‎We don’t need to die because we’re married to somebody.”
The Zontians who were seen in their orange Shirts at the conference urged the public to desist from stigmatizing survivors of digital violence. They appealed to families, communities and institutions to provide safe spaces where survivors feel supported, heard and believed.
They further encouraged survivors not to give in to despair but to stand up, speak out and fight for their safety and dignity rather than considering self harm or isolation.
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