… As NGO, stakeholders meet to curtail menace
MINNA: Increase in Gender Based Violence (GBV) has been described as very alarming in Niger State as over one thousand, five hundred cases have been recorded in less than three years.
This is despite the assurance given by wife of the State Governor, Dr Amina Abubakar in 2021 where she said at the “End GBV Summit,” organised in collaboration with the first ladies in Abuja that within a short time, the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law was passed and assented by the state governor.
READ ALSO:
Stakeholders Laud Flynas For Timely Airlift Of Nigerian Hajj Pilgrims
Africa’s First Professor Of Geology, Jamiu Oyawoye, Is Dead
United Plan €500m Spending Spree On Osimhen, Others
While making this disclosure at a 3 day capacity building for Mixed Observers Teams (MOT) organized by Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN) in Minna, the Director of Gender and Domestic Violence Department in the Niger State Ministry of Women Affairs, Mairo Mohammed Man said despite the alarming rate, the State has been able to record over one thousand successful cases.
According to her “the issue of Gender Based Violence especially domestic violence is very high and alarming in the State.
“Since the year 2020 and date that the Department was established, we have handled over one thousand, five hundred cases especially domestic related ones like spousal disagreement and family intervention.”
“Out of the over one thousand five hundred cases, we have recorded over one thousand three hundred of them successfully”.
She added that the capacity building is timely as it would give the participants the opportunity to garner more knowledge on how to tackle Gender Based Violence and related issues.
Earlier, the Director of Programs, PWAN, Ms Sia Iscandari said the main objective of the training is to get everyone involved in curtailing and reducing the prevalent rate of sexual and Gender Based Violence
Iscandari lamented that the cases of GBV are not well reported and as such a lot of women are dying in silence.
Accordingly, she said “the issue is that a lot of these cases are not reported and that is a lot of barrier. And these have to do with culture, fears and concerns that may arise. So, women are not reporting”.
While urging everyone for concerted effort by getting involved, she said with the coming of PWAN, victims can now have the confidence to report to any of the organizations.
The Program Officer in Niger state, Nana Hauwa Isah stressed that the Mixed Observer Team is to have a platform where they can talk about GBV, protection, reform and how to take action whenever issues in the communities come up.
In their separate remarks, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Khatumi Dauda Rufa’i, the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Maryam Ahmad, assured of synergy between their Ministries and PWAN.
Participants were drawn from security agencies, traditional and religious leaders, Human Right, Lawyers, NAWOJ as well as women groups.
END
