SGBV: Ipas trains Social Protection Officers, Service Providers in Gombe
….advocates justice for victims of SGBV
Chima Azubuike
The Country Director of Ipas Nigeria Health Foundation, Lucky Palmer, has advocated justice and prompt referral to health facilities for Sexual and Gender-based violence victims in Gombe State.
Our correspondent reports that Governor Muhammadu Yahaya of Gombe State had on October 2022 assented to Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, to quell the increasing rate of SGBV.
Speaking shortly after a two-day training for Social Protection Officers and other service providers on VAPP law organised by Ipas, Palmer who was represented by Senior Advisor Access Policy and Advocacy, Doris Ikpezie, said the workshop was geared towards preparing the personnel to assist victims.
According to him, the training would ensure that every critical stakeholders ensure that victims of Gender-Based Violence are protected and the offenders punished using the law.
He said, “We want them to promptly refer victims of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence to the clinics, to the 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’s what we expect Protection Officers to do. Why we advocate for stringer referral pathway to be established.
“It very important that we train them in order to build their capacity especially to be able to reform victims when they come to health facilities and seek justice. We believe if that is not done there are alot of consequences which we see that happens to women and girls who are victims of SGBV and that’s 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 of the VAPP law, he added, “From the passage of 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, everyone including the 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 happened.”
On her part, Director Socials Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Asabe Malami, who doubles as the overseeing Permanent Secretary lauded the organisation for training the participants.
Malami urged participants to cascade the information, towards providing improved service to victims of Sexual Gender-Based Violence 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 them to their offices, staff. Let them also use what they have learnt to make sure that they have an advocacy calls especially those in the Local Government to traditional rulers on what GBV is all about and the necessity that once there is a GBV case they should rush this case to the hospital and not to neglect them,” she said.
Also, Alhassan Yahya, Executive Director of Saif Advocacy commended the organisers on behalf of the Coalition, stressing that the recently assented law and the training would ensure better protection for victims of SGBV.
