Africa
AN NGO, Women’s Aid Collective (WACOL), has called on government officials and other Gender Based Violence (GBV), stakeholders’ to redouble efforts on ensuring implementation of laws and policies.
The WACOL Founding Director, Prof. Joy Ezeilo, made the call at a policy implementation workshop for key government officials on implementation of laws/policies and advancing human rights standards for women human rights agenda on Friday in Sokoto.
The event was organized in collaboration with Sokoto State Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, supported by UN Spotlight Initiative Project aimed at ending violence against women and girls.
Ezeilo said domestic violence, physical, psychological and economic violence against women and girls constituted high percentage of cases in our communities and called on stakeholders to consider it as among the cardinal flash point.
”The culture of silence, neglect, poor response from community leaders and prosecuting authorities as well as parents and guardians needed to be tackled in the society,” he said.
Ezeilo emphasized the need for improvement on GBV communication barriers, opportunities, cultural nuances, emerging, mitigation and ways on reporting cases.
In her remark, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Hajia A’isha Dantsoho, emphasized the need for collective efforts towards ending GBV.
Dantsoho said survivors suffered untold hardships and life challenges with political and societal interference noting that as a result of GBV prevalence most perpetrators remain unpunished.
She said no fewer than 918 GBV cases were recorded between Sept. 2020 to date 2022 in Sokoto state.
The Permanent Secretary said Sokoto state government ensured the domestication of Child Protection Law and Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law toward reducing GBV prevalence.
She said that Sokoto became a distinct state where stakeholders ensured harmonious working relationships performing activities in seamless platforms.
Dantsoho added that no fewer than 19 response teams work in 23 local government areas in the state to protect all forms of GBV occurrence and prompt responses.
Legal Practitioners, Safiyya Muhammad from Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, Dorathy Oleka and Helen Kalu, made presentations on Existing State and National Laws/Policies, Reginal and International Treaties/Instruments provisions.
Other presentations were on activities of duty bearers that comprised government officials and other law enforcement agencies.
Others were on GBV project formulation, monitoring and evaluation tools in advancing and promotion of human rights agenda through existing laws, policies and treaties.
Facilitators led participants on ways on ending all forms of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV), Harmful Practices (HP) and other Women and Girls Human Rights Agendas.
Resource persons led discussion on the GBV terms definitions, causes, consequences, responsible factors, prevention and statistics of GBV.
The goal was to increase capacity among actors to improve access to and deliver comprehensive services and advocate of GBV prevention and protection for vulnerable women and girls as well as right implementation of laws and policies.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that participants from government agencies, as well as media organisations had undertaken the role they will play as part of their engagements. (NAN)
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Tags: Dorathy Oleka Hajia A’isha Dantsoho Harmful Practices (HP) Helen Kalu Safiyya Muhammad Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Usmanu Danfodio University Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Women’s Aid Collective (WACOL)
