Group advocates justice for Sexual, Gender-Based Violence victims

Ipas Nigeria Health Foundation, an international, non-governmental organization that seeks to increase access to safe abortions and contraception has appealed for prompt justice and referral to health facilities for Sexual and Gender-Based Violence victims in Gombe State.

The Country Director of the foundation, Lucky Palmer, while speaking with our correspondent after a two-day training for Social/Protection Officers and other service providers on VAPP law, emphasised that getting prompt medical attention remains a critical factor to help such victims.

He explained that the workshop, which was organised by the foundation was geared towards preparing the personnel to assist victims.

According to him, the training was to make every critical stakeholder aware that they are to ensure victims of Gender-Based Violence are protected and offenders, punished using the instrumentality of the law.

He said, “We want them to promptly refer victims of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence to the clinics and health facilities so that they can obtain emergency contraception. So, that there won’t be unwanted pregnancies from victims and to also ensure that they get justice. So, these are two critical areas that we are looking out for and that is what we expect Protection Officers to do, while we advocate for a stringer referral pathway to be established.

“It is very important that we train them to build their capacity, especially to be able to reform victims when they come to health facilities and to seek justice. We believe that if this is not done, there would be lots of consequences, which is what we see happen to women and girls who are victims of SGBV. That is what we are trying to prevent and respond to.”

On the intervention of IPAS in ensuring reproductive health for all in Gombe, the Country Director lauded the state government for ensuring the passage and assent to the VAPP law.

He said, “From the passage of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, we are so glad and we saw the establishment of CSOs’ coalition where they advocated for the passage of the law. We saw the commitment of the relevant ministries, women, persons with disabilities, and everyone, including members of the House of Assembly. It is the severity of how they considered SGBV to be that they found it worthy that it should be passed. So, we are glad that it happened.”

The Director, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Asabe Malami, who doubles as the overseeing Permanent Secretary, lauded the organisation for training the participants.

She urged the participants to imbibe the information and build on it to provide improved service to victims of GBV in the State.

“Since the participants have gotten the training, the first thing I want them to do is to go back to their Ministries, LGA, and then disseminate the information to those in their offices and other staff.

“Let them also build on what they have learnt and ensure that they pay advocacy calls to Local Governments and traditional rulers to let them know what GBV is all about and that once there is any GBV case, they should rush the person involved to the hospital, and not to neglect them,” she said.

Also, the Executive Director of Saif Advocacy, Alhassan Yahya, commended the organisers on behalf of the Coalition, stressing that the recently assented law on SGBV would ensure better protection for victims. Recall that Governor Muhammadu Yahaya had on October 2022, assented to the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, to quell the increasing rate of SGBV in the state.

Healthwise/S.S