LAGOS- The Centre for Integrated Health Programmes (CIHP), a non-governmental organisation, has advised women and girls to set boundaries and also acquire self-defense skills, to help prevent them from harm or abuse.
Ms Aisha Sule, Gender Integration Associate, CIHP, gave this advice during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos.
Speaking on the eradication of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Sule said it was important that women and girls are aware of the risks and how to prevent them.
She said CIHP had carried out sensitisation programmes in various communities to educate people of dangers to look out for.
Setting boundaries and self-defense are important ways to stop assault and prevent people, particularly women and girls from getting hurt.
Highlighting what boundaries are, Sule said that they could be physical, mental or verbal.
According to her, physical boundaries are how a woman or girl wants to be touched or what she wants people to do with her body or not.
“Mental boundaries are the emotions a woman can share and the extent to which someone talking to her makes her uncomfortable.
“While verbal are things she wants people to say or not say to her.
“As women and girls, you need to understand your own boundaries as well and at what point you get uncomfortable.
“You should also know some of the signs when someone has crossed your boundary.”
Sule said that women and girls need to map out strategies – self-defense skills- to prevent themselves from harm and abuse when the boundary lines are crossed.
She said these skills could also be verbal, physical and mental.
Sule noted that the physical, which focuses on target areas on the attacker’s body, should be the last option used when in danger.
“You can learn to say no when you’re not comfortable with something or warn someone of the consequences of their actions.
“Sometimes you may sense that something is about to happen and you get out of that situation.
“We have some target areas in an attacker’s body that you can hit when you’re in danger; you can poke the eyes; you can do feet stomp,” she said.
NAN reports that CIHP carried out sensitisation programmes for school administrators at Ikeja and a community sensitisation at Ayobo as part of its ‘Orange the World Project’.
The initiative was to commemorate the 16 Days of Activism against GBV. (NAN)
