SGBV: NGO urges govt to allocate more funds to MDAs

A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Women Advocacy, Research and Documentation Centre, Ward ‘C’, has called on government at all levels to increase allocations to relevant MDAs to help curtail Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).

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Mrs Hassana Joan-Kpetu, Coordinator of the organisation in Niger, made the call at a news conference in Minna on Wednesday.

Joan-Kpetu said the called became necessary to enable the relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) work with other stakeholders to check the increasing cases of SGBV.

“We are calling on the government at all levels to increase their budgetary allocations to MDAs to end violence against women and girls through collaboration with state actors and private sector partnership,” she said.

According to her, the MDAs include ministries of Women Affairs, Justice, Health, Education, Humanitarian and Disaster Management, and the Child Rights Agency.

She commended Niger state House of Assembly for passing the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) bill for assent

Joan-Kpetu appealed to the Executive to ensure the law was assented to check the menace.

The Women Advocacy Research and Documentation Centre, WARD-C, is an NGO that has its presence in the 36 states of the federation, including the FCT, Abuja.

WARD-C aims to combat all forms of human rights violations, child abuse, gender-based violence, and child labour, among others.

In attendance were representatives of Federation of International Women Lawyers (FIFA) and National Council of Women Societies (NCWS).

Others are representatives of Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), 100 Lobby Women Group and Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA).

NAN/Wumi