A Non-governmental organization, Stop Violence Against Women in Politics (Stop-VAWIP) has stated that females faced violence, intimidation, and harassment in at least 11% of the total polling units (PUs) representing about 299 PUs in the recently-concluded Edo State governorship elections.

The organization, which in a statement decried the violence, said the election which was held on the 19th of September, 2020, recorded some violence against women that included assault, injury, and killings.

The organization said its survivors Service Centre noted with “great concern” an elderly woman was assaulted and sustained an injury, while she was preventing party activists from carting away election material from her Polling Unit.

Sahel Standard quoted  the organisation to have said in its statement thus: “Her Unit is located at Tipper Garage in Egor LGA.  The center has since reached out to her and provided counseling services from professionals working with Vivian Sexual Assault Referral Centre” the statement said.

The group also stated that a woman “late Mrs. Yado Odogbo, of Tolota village, was shot dead and killed in Polling Unit 6 in,   Ikoro Ward,  Ovia South-West, and a female observer deployed by YIAGA Africa to Polling Unit 7, Ward 3 Ewatto, was attacked, matcheted was almost killed, due to her participation in the elections”.

While assuring that the organization ‘s Response Committee is committed to awareness-raising, advocating for behavioral change, sensitizing citizens on gender-based violence (GBV), tracking and responding to cases of GBV, and improving women’s political participation in the state, it noted that the Committee would continue to encourage women’s participation in electoral and political processes.

“We urge voters, men, and women to identify the hotline as an effective medium of tracking and reporting the incidence of gender-based violence in this post-election era and to as well visit the Vivian Sexual Assault and Referral Centre for assistance,” the statement said.