800 attend Voice Out 8 Festival in Tambunan
KOTA KINABALU: This year’s Voice Out 8 Festival was a resounding success with more than 800 people attending the annual youth festival held at Pisompuruan Square, Tambunan, last weekend.
Staying true to its theme of ‘Dare to Stand Up - Bangkitlah’, the festival on September 29 raised awareness on Sexual Gender-based Violence (SGBV) in Sabah through a host of activities, including stage performances and a forum entitled ‘Just A Child, Not A Bride.’
The forum highlighted the issue of child marriage in Sabah through discussions led by panellists such as Amy Dangin (KK12FM radio announcer), Elsie Primus (High Court deputy registrar), Philip Kitingan (District Chief) and Rex Alvin (previously with UNICEF).
The forum was moderated by Voice Out 8 youth ambassador Wendy Inggu, who is an educator and this year’s Unduk Ngadau representative for Nabawan.
The panellists and moderator navigated through the delicate issue of child marriage, using language that could be understood easily by the audience, comprising mostly of students from schools around Tambunan.
Voice Out 8 chairman Jeinorvay Vitalis said it was important for youths to understand their role in preventing SGBV cases in their communities.
“SGBV is a violation of human rights, and it denies a person her dignity, as well as leave negative impacts on the community. We were deeply concerned by the news of a 41-year-old man marrying an 11-year-old girl in Kelantan, which was highlighted extensively in the media.
“We hope by having this forum on child marriage, the panellists were able to raise awareness among youths and their parents about this issue,” he explained.
Vitalis said he hoped that next year’s Voice Out would attract a bigger audience, as well as youth performers to participate in the festival.
Also present at the festival were Tambunan district officer Thomas Logijin and Good Shepherd Services executive director Chin Poh Choo.