The PreCCL strategies to empower women against intimate partner violence occurrences in Limpopo province, South Africa

South African women remain vulnerable to gender-based violence, including femicide. Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a major and very complex public concern in the country currently. This makes IPV the most widespread method by which men perpetrate violence against women. It is not clear if women are empowered with IPV Information, Motivation and Behavior skills (IBM) to protect themselves against IPV occurrences. This article presents the developed PreCCL (prevention, community-based, corrective and law enforcement) strategies to empower women against intimate partner violence in Limpopo Province, South Africa. PreCCL strategies were developed based on qualitative and quantitative IBM (Information, Motivation and Behaviour) of IPV results as well as evidence-based information from the review of literature. Delphi technique was used to organize one stakeholder engagement meeting with a panel of 38 experts knowledgeable regarding Vhembe district IPV issues (namely managers from Vhembe Thohoyandou victim empowerment centre, members of the Executive council of the 6th administration of Limpopo provincial Legislatures, heads of departments or directors from the department of health, social development and community safety and security, chairperson of gender equity, TVEP managers, as well as women who were victims from Vhembe where the study was conducted, and chairperson of gender equity, disability women and children). The purpose of the stakeholder engagement meeting was consultation and buy-in of experts in the field regarding feasible and practical evidence-based intervention strategies for local communities. The setting for stakeholder engagement meeting was Vhembe District Tshifulanani at Munnandinnyi and Hadumasi the Victorious Community offices. However, due to COVID-19 regulations other stakeholders failed to attend, and the rating scales were emailed to them together with the PreCCL strategies. The participants were asked to rate the PreCCL strategies on a given Likert scale in terms of relevance, importance, potential effectiveness and recommendation for adoption. The 0.67 Cronbach Alpha reliability score of the Likert scale was found acceptable for this study. Of the 65 questionnaires sent out, only 38 were returned, which was 58.5% response rate. Data were analyzed quantitatively using SPSS. The strategies were rated relevant in addressing IPV in the district by most (n = 36;97,4%;Mean ± SD = 3.0 ± 0.7) of the stakeholder, whereby (n= 6;15.8%;Mean ± SD=3.8 ±1.2) strongly agreed and (n =30;78,9%) agreed. In terms of importance, most (n = 32;84.3%) of the respondents rated the strategies very important in addressing IPV in the communities. The strategies were rated potentially effective in addressing IPV by most (n =34;89.5%;Mean ± SD (3.2 ± 0.6) of the stakeholder. The majority (n = 34;89.6%) of the stakeholders recommended the adoption of the developed strategies in current state. Conclusion: PreCCL strategies to empower women against IPV occurrences, which were developed based on IBM qualitative and quantitative results as well as review of literature are considered relevant and potentially effective by stakeholder who recommend their adoption by the Department of Social Development, Limpopo Province.

An inaugural survey of cereal, oilseed and vegetable crop diseases in the Yukon Territory in 2020

Various kinds of field crops growing on two commercial farms in the Whitehorse area of the southern Yukon Territory were surveyed for diseases in summer 2020 by staff of the Agriculture Branch of the Government of Yukon. They included barley, wheat, canola, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, potatoes and turnips. Fields were visited one or more times during July and August. The incidence and severity of diseases were visually assessed on a crop-by-crop basis and samples were collected for laboratory analysis of the pathogens present, if any. Both infectious and non-infectious diseases were present on most crops. The infectious diseases were caused by various species of plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi that were common on these crops growing in other areas of Canada. INTRODUCTION AND METHODS: The 2020 field crop disease survey is believed to be the first organized study of its kind on agricultural crops in the Territory. In his book, "An Annotated Index of Plant Diseases in Canada . . . ", I.L. Conners lists over 300 records of plant diseases on trees, shrubs, herbs and grasses in the Yukon that were published by individuals who were surveying forests and native vegetation mainly for federal government departments, universities and other agencies (Conners 1967). The objectives of the 2020 survey were: (1) to determine the kinds and levels of diseases on selected Yukon crops, (2) to identify the major pathogen species attacking Yukon crops, and (3) to use the results to plan future surveillance activities aimed at helping producers to improve their current disease management programs. All of the fields included in the 2020 survey were situated on two commercial farms, which were designated as Farm #1 and #2, in the Whitehorse area in the southern Yukon (Fig. 1). The crops surveyed included cereals (barley and wheat), oilseeds (canola) and vegetables (beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, potatoes and turnips). Fields were visited one or more times in the mid- to late growing season (July/August) at a time when damage from diseases was most noticeable. Symptoms were visually assessed on a crop-by-crop basis by determining their incidence and severity. Incidence was represented by the percentage of plants, leaves, heads, kernels, etc., damaged in the target crop, while severity was estimated to be the proportion of the leaf, fruit, head, root/canopy area, etc., affected by a specific disease as follows: Proportion of the canopy affected based on a 0-4 rating scale, where: 0 = no disease symptoms, 1 = 1-10% of the crop canopy showing symptoms;2 = 11-25% showing symptoms, 3 = 26- 50% showing symptoms, and 4 = > 50% showing symptoms. Photographs of affected plants were taken and sent to plant pathologists across Western Canada for their opinions on causation. Where possible, representative samples of plants with disease symptoms were packaged and sent to the Alberta Plant Health Lab (APHL) in Edmonton, AB for diagnostic analyses. Background information, such as the general cultural practices and cropping history, was obtained from the producers wherever possible. GPS coordinates were obtained for each field to enable future mapping Cereals: Individual fields of barley (11 ha) and wheat (30 ha) located at Farm #1 were surveyed. The barley was a two-row forage cultivar 'CDC Maverick', while the wheat was an unspecified cultivar of Canada Prairie Spring (CPS) Wheat. Plant samples were taken along a W-shaped transect for a total of five sampling points for the barley field (< 20 ha) and ten sampling points for the wheat field (> 20 ha). The first visit, which occurred on July 30, involved visual inspection and destructive sampling wherein plants were collected and removed from the field for a detailed disease assessment at a lab space in Whitehorse. There, the roots were rinsed off and the plants were examined for disease symptoms. The second visit to these fields, which occurred on August 27, only involved visual examination of the standing crop. Oilseeds: A single 40 ha field of Polish canola (cv. 'Synergy') was examined o

Does routine activity theory still matter during COVID-19 restrictions? The geography of sexual assaults before, during, and after COVID-19 restrictions.

On March 10, 2020, the Governor of the State of Michigan, USA, declared a state of emergency in response to COVID-19. Within days, schools were closed; in-person dining was restricted; and lockdowns and precautionary stay-at-home orders were issued. These restrictions dramatically impacted the mobility of offenders and victims through space and time. As routine activities were forced to change and crime generators were closed, did hot spots and risky locations for victimization change as well? The purpose of this research is to analyze potential shifts in high-risk areas for sexual assaults before, during, and after COVID-19 restrictions. Using data from the City of Detroit, Michigan, USA, optimized hot spot analysis and Risk Terrain Modeling (RTM) were used to identify critical spatial factors for the occurrence of sexual assaults before, during, and after COVID-19 restrictions. The results suggested that hot spot areas for sexual assaults were more concentrated during the COVID timeframe, compared to the Pre-COVID timeframe. While blight complaints, public transit stops, points of sale for liquor, and the locations of drug arrests were consistent risk factors for sexual assaults before and after COVID restrictions, other factors, such as casinos and demolitions, were only influential in the COVID period.

Violence Against Women - A Global Perspective.

Gender-based violence (GBV) affects more than 700 million women and girls, worldwide, manifesting systemically (eg, human trafficking) and at the interpersonal level (eg, rape, intimate partner violence) and conveying significant negative economic, social, mental, and physical health impacts. It is important for the clinician to be prepared for providing emergency, urgent, and longer-term care to women who are survivors of GBV. Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo provides an example of person-centered, holistic care for survivors of GBV, including conflict-related and nonconflict-related sexual violence.

An Artificial Approach for the Fractional Order Rape and Its Control Model

The current investigations provide the solutions of the nonlinear fractional order mathematical rape and its control model using the strength of artificial neural networks (ANNs) along with the Levenberg-Marquardt back -propagation approach (LMBA), i.e., artificial neural networks-Levenberg-Marquardt backpropagation approach (ANNs-LMBA). The fractional order investigations have been presented to find more realistic results of the mathe-matical form of the rape and its control model. The differential mathematical form of the nonlinear fractional order mathematical rape and its control model has six classes: susceptible native girls, infected immature girls, sus-ceptible knowledgeable girls, infected knowledgeable girls, susceptible rapist population and infective rapist population. The rape and its control differ-ential system using three different fractional order values is authenticated to perform the correctness of ANNs-LMBA. The data is used to present the rape and its control differential system is designated as 70% for training, 14% for authorization and 16% for testing. The obtained performances of the ANNs-LMBA are compared with the dataset of the Adams-Bashforth-Moulton scheme. To substantiate the consistency, aptitude, validity, exactness, and capability of the LMBA neural networks, the obtained numerical values are provided using the state transitions (STs), correlation, regression, mean square error (MSE) and error histograms (EHs).

Amidst an Ambition-Reality Gap: The UN’s Women, Peace and Security Agenda

Since 2000, the United Nations' Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda has addressed the causes and consequences of sexual violence towards women in conflict scenarios. After two decades of effort, an ambition-reality gap persists. Uneven commitments from UN member states, ongoing instances of conflict-related sexual violence around the globe and the lack of a critical mass of female participants in peace negotiations, security policy and politics in general, suggest that WPS has had limited effects. Despite its under-achievements, WPS objectives remain relevant, especially considering the amplifying effects that the Covid-19 pandemic and its fallout have had for gender inequality and conflict.

PTSD: Anesthesia Considerations for the Patient With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common psychological condition identified in combat veterans and individuals who have experienced natural or manmade disasters or other traumatic experiences. PTSD is known to increase a patient's risk of emergence delirium after undergoing general anesthesia. While this is well known by certified registered nurse anesthetists in practice, particularly those in military hospitals, recommendations for anesthetic management of patients with PTSD is notably lacking. The aim of this article is to provide anesthesia considerations synthesized from available literature. At the conclusion of this article, the reader will be able to incorporate evidence-based practice guidelines to care for patients from the preoperative period through the postanesthesia care unit stay.

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on reporting of rape, serious sexual offences, and domestic abuse in one English police force

Research suggests that during the COVID-19 pandemic reports of rapes and serious sexual offences to the authorities have declined while calls to domestic violence helplines have soared. This article focuses on the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on reporting to the police in cases of rape, serious sexual offences and domestic abuse in one police force in England. Data from the force’s crime reporting system was provided from 2018 to 2021, including over 10,000 reports of rapes and serious sexual offences and over 5,000 reports of domestic abuse. An Interrupted Time Series analysis was used to evaluate the impact of lockdown on reporting rates, with segmented regression to measure the changes in reporting before and after the start of the pandemic in March 2020. This article is the first of its kind to explore the impact of COVID-19 on sexual and domestic violence at more than an aggregate level, demonstrating how COVID-19 has had a variable impact on different groups of victims, and how stay at home orders specifically have impacted on reporting rates. These data provide novel and valuable insights into the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the reporting of sexual violence and domestic abuse.

Analysis of Reported Cases of Crime in India

The aim of the paper is to introduce an overall depiction of crimes in India. This paper examines the overall effect of financial factors (NSDP as an intermediary of monetarydevelopment, neediness, joblessness, sexual orientation proportion and instruction) on crime percentages in India. Information of few significant states are taken for the years from 1990 to 2020 over the period of decade. This contains the investigation of composition of crimes, comparing the data of various states for different years with respect to total crime rates and contribution of chosen crime heads such as murder, rape, burglary and many more. Murder describes the killing of a person deliberately. In the same way, rape is unlawful sexual activity. Crimes against property incorporates dacoity, thievery, burglary and dacoity. These gain significance for their prevalence in the absolute pace of crime at any instant of time.Comparative graphs have been made for the state wise contribution of different states/UT, line graph of the crime rate in the interval of two years and relative visualization of states with highest and lowest crime have been done. Comparison of few major crimes have also been made between before and during Covid-19.

Reflections on Online Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Vignettes from an Indian Classroom

[...]more often than not, teachers had little or no means of accessing the visual cues of students' reactions and modulating the tone of the discussion accordingly. Despite my personal dislike for many aspects of the film, I believed it would serve as a useful point of discussion about issues such as the appropriateness of the timing of the film's release, the film's conceptions of feminism as a rabid movement of mob-justice, and issues concerning sexual harassment. Some argued that the casting couch was to blame, and yet others mentioned in their essays that it was unfortunate that justice was not always served, but that the law was all we had.

Magical Immunization: Occult and the Pandemic in Nora Roberts' Year One

With the world in topsy-turvy strained under the tides of a pandemic that shows no sign of ebbing, there has been a massive surge in consumption- no pun intended- of supernatural fiction and fantasy literature. Either as a means of escape from reality, or as a deep-dive into an allegorized society in crisis (or a world directly and terrifyingly reflective of the 2020s), fantasy with a dystopian, apocalyptic setting has always found a large readership. Concomitantly, there has been a re-popularization of the occult in real life as well: and this paper shall investigate Nora Roberts' Year One keeping that in mind in the context of the author's creation of the supernaturally-aided and supernaturally-quelled pandemic in her novel. Alarmingly predictive of the Covid-19 horror, Roberts' narrative follows the life of the survivors of a disastrous, self-mutative airborne virus that levels more than half of the world population in weeks. I shall investigate socio-literary implications of how most of the unaffected are revealed to possess magical abilities which are shown to be genetically and generationally coded, thus causing a divide between them and the non-magical victims, culminating into a eugenicist drive of culling which turns into an actual "witch"-hunt. Taking into account the cultural connotations of choosing Scotland as Roberts' preferred setting for the genesis of the plague coupled with her use of Scottish legends about dark forces, the paper will further delve into possible evocation of Celtic pagan mythologies, occult medical lore, and the inspiration drawn from the accusation and persecution of marginalized "white witch"/ "witch doctor"/ "wise women" healers during Black Death and witch trials in early modern Scotland.

The upsurge of rape during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria and its effects on survivors

As one of the global measures for containing the spread of the dreaded coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Nigerian government imposed a total lockdown from 30 March 2020 to 15 May 2020. This exposed a lot of women and children to a greater level of sexual violence such as rape, which has persisted even before COVID-19. On 14 July 2020, the Nigerian Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Pauline Tallen, reportedly said that over 3600 rape cases were recorded across Nigeria during the lockdown. The sudden rise in cases of rape in the country calls for urgent attention. The article explores the effects of rape during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria using expository and phenomenological designs. It used data obtained from: (1) articles and commentaries on the websites of various newspapers in Nigeria, (2) existing works and (3) interviews with women and girls who were either survivors or connected to the victims of rape during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria. The findings corroborate the notion that rape, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown, is a very traumatic experience that has negative effects on the survivors in a physical, psychological and sociological way. The data also indicate that the upsurge of rape incidences in Nigeria is an epidemic that should also be treated as a public health emergency. Contribution: This research revealed diverse health and safety approaches that should be adopted to mitigate further escalation of rape, which includes enforcement of anti-sexual harassment bills, intensified orientation and awareness through campaigns. © 2022. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS.

Ballar al carrer com a empoderament feminista. El discurs coreogràfic dels col·lectius Bellywarda i L'Armée des Roses

La reivindicado dels cossos femenins a l'espai public és una constant en els moviments socials feministes. Ja sigui ocupant els carrers en protesta pels drets i la igualtat de les dones, contra l'assetjament sexual i la violació o involucrat en altres manifestacions socials, el paper del cos femení a l'espai públic vehiculant un missatge social és reivindicat per artistes de totes les disciplines. En el camp de la dansa, algunes companyies actuen expressament en espais públics amb l'objectiu precís de conquerir-lo com a escenari per visibilitzar els cossos femenins, destacant-ne la diversitat i reclamant més igualtat i llibertat. A través d'entrevistes collectives, analitzem el discurs coreografic dels col·lectius Bellywarda (FatChanceBellyDance©) i L'Armée des Roses (cancan), dues companyies franceses compromeses amb la difusió del feminisme al carrer. Amb l'objectiu d'estudiar ľapropiació de l'espai urba, la interacció i recepció amb el públic, els vincles socials entre ballarines i la transmissio dels valors feministes, hem abordat l'observació de la dansa i les entrevistes des de la sociologia de les emocions, la fenomenologia dels espais urbans i els estudis de dones. El context de pandemia no ens ha permès fer una observació de la recepció del públic al carrer, però hem pogut abordar amb elles la situació a França de la dansa, considerada com a «bé cultural no essencial», amb la prohibició de la realització d'activitats culturals durant el segon confinament, moment en quě es realitza aquest estudi.Alternate :The reaffirmation of female bodies in public spaces is a constant in feminist social movements. Indeed, the role of the female body in public spaces and conveying a social message is vindicated by artists from all disciplines, whether by occupying the streets in protest of unequal women's rights and equality or sexual harassment and rape, or in other social demonstrations. In the field of dance, some companies perform expressly in public spaces with the precise aim of conquering these arenas as a stage to visibilise female bodies, highlighting their diversity and demanding more equality and freedom. In this article, we use collective interviews with two French companies committed to promoting feminism in the streets Bellywarda (FatChanceBellyDance©) and L'Armée des Roses (performing the cancan), to analyse the choreographic discourse related to this concept. We aimed to study the appropriation of public spaces, interactions with the public at large and their reception of these performances, social links between dancers, and the transmission of feminist values. Observation of these dances and the interview outcomes was addressed from the perspectives of the sociology of emotions, phenomenology of urban spaces, and women's studies. The context of the COVID-19 pandemic prevented us from examining the public reception of these street actions, but we were able to discuss the current situation in France in which dance is considered a 'non-essential cultural asset' during the second lockdown, when this research takes place.

Remote Prediction of Oilseed Rape Yield via Gaofen-1 Images and a Crop Model

The fast and accurate prediction of crop yield at the regional scale is of great significance to food policies or trade. In this study, a new model is developed to predict the yield of oilseed rape from high-resolution remote sensing images. In order to derive this model, the ground experiment and remote sensing data analysis are carried out successively. In the ground experiment, the leaf area index (LAI) of four growing stages are measured, and a regression model is established to predict yield from ground LAI. In the remote sensing analysis, a new model is built to predict ground LAI from Gaofen-1 images where the simple ratio vegetation index at the bolting stage and the VARIgreen vegetation index at the flowering stage are used. The WOFOSTWOrld FOod STudy (WOFOST) crop model is used to generate time-series ground LAI from discontinuous ground LAI, which is calibrated coarsely with the MODerate resolution imaging spectroradiometer LAI product and finely with the ground-measured data. By combining the two conclusive formulas, an estimation model is built from Gaofen-1 images to the yield of oilseed rape. The effectiveness of the proposed model is verified in Wuxue City, Hubei Province from 2014 to 2019, with the pyramid bottleneck residual network to extract oilseed rape planting areas, the proposed model to estimate yields, and the China statistical yearbooks for comparison. The validation shows that the prediction error of the proposed algorithm is less than 5.5%, which highlights the feasibility of our method for accurate prediction of the oilseed rape yield in a large area. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Remote Sensing is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Conceptual framework for epidemics and vaccination dilemma

Outbreaks of diseases have positive and negative effects on humans. An example of the positive epidemic dilemma was seen in the 2020 lockdown across the world where families spent quality time together and couples seeking for the fruit of the womb conceived after many years, working from home was introduced, Lagosians working from home reduced stress from traffic, remote jobs were increased, online zoom, Webex webinars, online surveys, seminars, conference, Viva Voca, graduation and growth for online business and banking. Apps were available for the masses to access health online, known as Telemedicine. While the negative epidemics dilemma includes loss of jobs, slow down in economy across the world, poverty, drug abuse, self-medication, Anti-microbial resistance, child abuse, rape, divorce, shadow pandemic, death, and no access to education for those that do not have internet facilities to learn/study/school online. Vaccine's hesitancy is an established dilemma that contributes to significant health challenges which cause a high rate of infant sickness and death. There are certain factors like cultural, social, demographic, and psychosocial factors that contribute to the vaccine dilemma. This conceptual framework illustrates the factors that drive epidemics and vaccine dilemma, which can be vaccination acceptance and hesitancy. For an intervention to be implemented successfully, we need to understand the triggers of epidemics and vaccination dilemma. The socio-demographic characteristics like age, sex, marital status, level of education, choice of hospital, employment status, level of income, health insurance status and the number of children is significantly associated with vaccine uptake among parents.

"The Global Sense of Disaster was Synchronized With my Own Disaster": Implications of the COVID-19 Crisis on the Wellbeing of Survivors of Sexual Violence.

The present study is designed to improve our understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, as collective trauma, on the wellbeing of survivors of sexual violence (SV). The data are based on an online qualitative survey about the experiences of 39 survivors and a thematic analysis of ten in-depth interviews with service providers in Israel. The findings reveal that the pandemic and restrictive measures are associated with increased risk for participants' wellbeing, caused directly by pandemic characteristics, as well as indirectly through the denial of access to coping resources. Paradoxically, the pandemic also offers relief, given the widespread restrictions imposed on the entire population and the general crisis atmosphere. The service providers' perspective indicates an increased demand for services as well as for their adjustment. These findings highlight the vulnerability of individuals with a history of SV and the need for accommodation of frontline SV services for health crises.

A Meta-Analytic Framework for Developing Protocols to Attend Child and Adolescent Victims of Sexual Violence

Violence against children and adolescents is a global public health problem. In Brazil, there are challenging boundaries for professionals in the protection network in general and for health professionals in particular. Moreover, among other factors, there is the challenge of referral, due to weaknesses in decision making, given the nature of sexual violence and how it is managed by healthcare services. This study aims to propose a Meta-Analytic framework to support the referral of young victims of sexual violence, considering levels of severity, independent of factors such as how protection systems are structured and managed and the local laws in force. We propose a Meta-Analytic approach, developed using the fundamentals of Delphi and DPSIR (Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact, and Response Model of Intervention), from the perspective of Value-Focused Thinking. The Delphi method was structured in two stages: the first stage aimed to identify and classify typical cases of sexual violence;the second stage used the DPSIR model, with the aim of identifying the decision criteria for typical cases that occur in a given municipality. The main outcomes are: (i) the application of the modified Delphi participatory method within the context of local social policies;(ii) the construction of a value tree based on Value-Focused Thinking;and (iii) the identification and systematization of criteria that most interfere with the evaluation of cases of sexual violence, which can be used for multi-criteria decision making.

Effects of COVID-19 on China's rape industry and strategies

To effectively cope with the shock of COVID-19 and its subsequent impact, and to promote stable and healthy development of rape industry, this paper systematically analyzed the impact of COVID-19 on China's rape industry. It includes perspectives of farmer's life, rape production and rapeseed processing enterprises, based on micro survey data provided by the National Rapeseed Industrial Technology System. The results showed that in terms of farmers' life, only 0.98% of the respondents were in a shortage of edible vegetable oil and 76.06% of them reflected no impact or a little impact on total household income. However, rural tourism decreased by 10.24 percentage points, and honey collecting behavior of bee farmers decreased by 4.6 points. On field production, 85.47% of the respondents reported "no change" and "small reduction" in field management workload, 90.38% reflected "no impact" and "a littlel impact" on rapeseed production employment, 79.06% considered "overall stability" in the price of agricultural materials, and 98.48% believed that it had a little impact on final output. However, the pest reporting rate increased by 4.99 points than last season. On rapeseed processing, it varied from region to region on the rapeseed processing enterprises' resumption rate, starting-up rate, specific difficulties faced by enterprises and government policies. Based on these results, future strategies should be taken to ensure improving development of rape industry. The strategies should include perfect construction of China's oil reserve system, more attention to diversification of imports, more innovation and technology promotion, optimization on marketing system and construction of information platform, and a"package"subsidy plan for the industry.

MUSIC ADVOCACY AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE (GBV) DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Songs are a powerful instrument for social mobilization. Different studies have acknowledged their influence at different times in societies worldwide. Based on muted group theory and social responsibility theory ' assumptions, this paper therefore explored the use of local songs/jingles in creating public Gender-Based Violence (GBV) awareness during COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. It sampled and analysed three songs/jingles used to create GBV sensitization during this period, looking at the dominant messages and gender-based violence types mentioned in the songs/jingles. Also, it purposively sampled male and female university students' gender experiences on campus, and gender campaign experts ' opinions on the use of local songs for gender -based violence awareness. GBV issues of rape, battery, femicide, and women empowerment dominated the songs/jingles which also preach importance of mutual respect and consent in any relationship involving men and women. Moreover, most students and gender advocates espoused songs/jingles use for GBV message dissemination. Notwithstanding, they did not believe using songs could bring the desired attitudinal change during COVID-19 pandemic. Also, most students objected to the kind of songs and music artists used in the songs/jingles. In conclusion, GBV's prevalence in Nigeria aligns with the assumption that women are still a muted group without much communication power in a male-dominated media landscape. As a media and cultural material, music has a social responsibility to serve as the voice to promote women empowerment, especially if it is deliberately employed to serve the purpose.