Despite efforts in curbing the menace of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in Niger State, the government has raised the alarm that in just three years, it has recorded over one thousand, five hundred cases.
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 and Social Development, Barrister Mairo Mohammed Man said despite the alarming rate, the State has been able to record over one thousand successful cases.
It be recalled that the Governor’s wife, Dr Amina Abubakar in 2021 had said at the “End GBV Summit,” organized 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.
In her words: “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 while declaring the workshop open 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.
Furthermore, Iscandari said the programme is aimed at reducing the prevalence and incidences of sexual and gender based violence and other public safety concerns that would arise in communities across the State which will impact on women negatively.
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.
According to Nana, “citizens would have opportunity to contact the necessary stakeholders whenever there are issues related to sexual and gender based violence so that the menace can be fully addressed”.
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.
