Sokoto Government Urges Action Against Gender Based Violence

The Sokoto State Government has called for a collective action to effectively fight the menace of Gender Based Violence (GBV), in the state.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, made the call during a 2-day high level capacity building workshop on GBV prevention for Religious and Traditional Leaders in the state.

Alhaji appealed to the leaders to support the campaign against GBV across the state.

He said, “The essence of the workshop was to strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration, enhance reporting mechanisms, and promote coordinated strategies to combat GBV in the state.”

The Director Women Affairs, Mrs Hauwa Umar-Jabo, said the exercise was also to enhance stakeholders’ collaboration with government ministries, law enforcement, civil society organisations, traditional and religious institutions, and development partners.

The facilitator, Malam Rabiu Bello-Gandi dwelled on the types, forms, and consequences of GBV, emphasising the need for stakeholders to cascade the sensitisation in worship places, community gatherings, and public forums.

Bello-Gandi stressed the need for participants to be attentive and build their capacity towards educating others on GBV definitions, forms, consequences, and reporting protocols.

According to him, “Participants need to develop a community-level sensitisation and advocacy strategies, while calling for inter-agency collaboration to facilitate prevention, protection, prosecution and promote best practices in GBV response.”

A Director from Ministry of Justice, Mrs A’isha Abdullahi, reassured the ministry’s commitment to prosecuting all perpetrators referred to them until convictions were secured.

A cross section of stakeholders expressed commitments to providing medical care, psychosocial support (PSS), and other prevention and response mechanisms.

The event drew participants from traditional and religious leaders, officials from Ministries of Religious Affairs, Budget, Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), UNFPA among others.

A similar exercise was organised in August by the ministry, in collaboration with UN Women in Sokoto state.

NAN