The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has received and recorded over 58, 517 complaints on Sexual Gender Based-Violence (SGBV) against women and children in 2021.
According to the Commission, it created a ‘counselling unit and vulnerable groups department’ to address the overwhelming complaints from the public.
NHRC’s Deputy Director, Research, Mrs. Ngozi Okore, raised the alarm, yesterday (Tuesday), in Maiduguri at the Call to Action (CtA) workshop to develop the 2022-2025 roadmap in Northeast.
The two-day workshop organised by the United Nations Funds for Population Activities (UNFPA); was to develop a roadmap on the protection of women and children from GBV in emergencies.
CtA is funded by the Government of Denmark and supported by the Norwegian government for the development of the roadmap.
“We’re to collectively review the progress, challenges and lessons learnt from the implementation of CtA 2019-2021 roadmap,” she said.
In overcoming public complaints, she said: “There is a designated toll free line, as well as the launching of a digital application, known as UNSUB,” explaining that the platform directs a victim to a responder.
Besides, she added that UNSUB is a digital platform based on artificial intelligent that will connect victims of SGBV to a responder.
She lamented gender-based violence (GBV), as it’s a grave violation of the rights of women and the girl child.
“It always increases, despite all efforts put in place by human rights advocates and defenders,” he noted.
Director General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dr. Fatima Waziri, represented by the Ag. Director, Mrs. Ijeoma Amugo, disclosed that GBV is a crime against humanity.
She stated that the Commission will not leave no stone unturned to ensure that; “This crime is brought to its barest minimum in the country,”
She, therefore, calls on stakeholders to play their roles in safeguarding to protect victims of GBV with access to justice.
The Minister for Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, represented by Ms Abia Udeme said that the CtA is a global multi-stakeholders initiative to transform the way humanitarian actors address GBV in emergencies.
The Northeast roadmap for 2022-2025 was to ensure effective coordination and support for field activities of relevant stakeholders in the implementation of CtA.
“Our goal is that every humanitarian response, provides safe and comprehensive services for GBV survivors,” declaring that the humanitarian responses should mitigate the risk of GBV in the Northeast.
“We should consolidate on the success recorded in the implementation of the 2018-2019 roadmap,” she said.
She noted that the success of CtA will be determined by the crises-affected women, girls, families and communities to be safe with the restoration of peace and development.
Responding, the Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, represented by the Director, Falmata Gambo, disclosed: “To mitigate the prevalence of GBV, the State government in partnership with the humanitarian community; established a working group to mitigate the GBV risks responses.
She added that this includes the maintenance of advocacy roles in mainstreaming gender in the society.
Already, she said that Governor Babagana Zulum passed the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act into law last January.
According to her, the Act is most capable to ensure absolute accountability on the sexual violence front in Borno state. She said that the implementation of the Act could raise hopes of the displaced women that face sexual violence
Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri
August 23, 2022.
