The Ogun State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Funmi Efuwape says Gender-Based Violence is a cankerworm in women’s progression, which must be eradicated.

 Mrs. Efuwape stated this while speaking during a 3-day training on "Rapid Response/Management of Gender-Based Violence Occurrence in the State for Social Welfare Officers", at Women Development Center, Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta, noting that despite many positive and significant achievements recorded by women in politics and professional status, gender-based violence remains a wide spread problem at all level of life in the world.

  Represented by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Women Affairs, Hon. Adijat Oladapo-Adeleye, Efuwape, said the officers are major players in combating the menace of gender-based violence, hence the need for training and retraining of officers to keep them abreast of the new trend in the management of the issue.

She said "the State government is head bent in the elimination of all forms of violence, as it has zero tolerance for it, noting that the Ministry is working relentlessly to ensure that gender-based violence is eliminated from our society".

The Commissioner charged the participants to be steadfast and perform their duties as expected, towards contributing their quota to building a just society, free from discrimination against women and girl-child.

Contributing, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mrs. Melutia Ogunremi, said gender equality is the foundation for a peaceful and sustainable world, describing it as an avenue to stop all forms of violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres.

"I will like to remind you that one of the visions of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development is to build a just society, free from discrimination against women and the girl-child, this training is therefore necessary for all social welfare officers, as they play a major role in combating the menace of gender-based violence", Melutia noted.

In his presentation, the guest lecturer, Mr. Sunday Sannni spoke extensively on the various forms of abuse that have been accepted as normal norms in our society, such as pattern of dressing, being in a wrong place at the wrong time, among others, urging the officers to ensure the menace is corrected.