By Victor Bieni, Asaba
The Chairperson, Association Against Child Sexual and Gender-based Violence, AACSGBV group, and Executive Director, ED, Working Fingers Int’l Initiative, WFII, Dr. Amb. Eris Jewo Ibi has said that the association as part of efforts to reduce the rampant increase on the cases of SGBV Menace in Nigeria, precisely Delta State; propelled with a volunteerism spirit to render relentless support to the gender sensitive Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s DSGVRT Initiative, Stronger Delta agenda policy, domesticate VAPP Law in Delta, and promote UN 17 SDGs resorted to Community-based approaches towards elimination of domestic violence, rape, work place and other forms of Gender-based violence.
The media learnt this yesterday being 1st of July, 2021 during a one day conference organized by the leadership of Association Against Child Sexual And Gender-Based Violence, AACSGBV in partnership with Delta State Government and other development partners, Delta State Human Rights Commission, #talksgbv# “Speak-Out to end SGBV Campaign held at the conference Hall of Ministry of Women Affairs, Social And Community Development, Asaba, Delta State capital.
Welcoming the participants, AACSGBV group, Community based Organizations, Members Civil Society Organizations present, Government representatives and other critical stakeholders at the event, the permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development, Asaba, Delta State, Mrs Oghenekevwe Agas, who was ably represented by Mrs Faith Okpohworho, she stated that the Ministry is pleased to be part of the awareness on the use of Community based approaches towards ending GBV menace in Delta State as change agents, while she commended the annual AACSGBV’s 2021 conference on “Speak-Out to end Child Sexual and Gender-based violence, SGBV Campaign”.
Delta Women Affairs PS, who stated that the Ministry of Women Affairs overall mandate is to promote the welfare by embarking on programmes and policies that enhances their position and development socially, economically, and politically, then commended the Executive Governor of Delta State, Sen. Dr. Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa for being a gender sensitive Governor, the establishment of some special units in the Ministry of Justice to Address Issues such as Child Sexual Gender-Based Violence, SGBV, and free Domestication of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, VAPP, the Initiatives which included amongst others: “Delta State Sexual And Gender-Based Violence Referral Team( DSGVRT), Delta State Task Force On Human Trafficking And Irregular Migration.
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) refers to any harmful act of sexual, physical, psychological, mental, and emotional abuse that is perpetrated against a person’s will and that is based on socially ascribed differences between males and females prevalent in the society.
In a welcome address by the Chairperson, Association Against Child Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, AACSGBV, Dr. Eris Jewo Ibi stated that the program which is a replication of Abuja 2020 SGBV Women program is the brain child of AACSGBV and her team members, which she said the focus of the deliberations is to create awareness on the use of Community based approaches towards ending the menace in Delta State by adopting Speak Out Campaign in their families, quarters, wards, Local Governments and State and National levels through reporting and mitigating GVB; using various social media platforms and cluster groups towards the attainment of 17 United Nations, UN Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.
She commended the members of the group, the resource persons; twelve persons panelists/presenters at the 2021 Gender for their financial and technical, sincere, sacrifices and magnanimity made towards the success of the event. She added that, the group is aimed at promoting social justice, women empowerment, gender inclusiveness everywhere in Nigeria, precisely Delta.
AACSGBV is a not-for-profit Nigerian organization whose mission is to protect and promote the rights of women and girls, children, other vulnerable persons. Also provide psychological, emotional care and support, build capacity, rehabilitate victims/survivors of all forms Sexual Gender-Based Violence through the cooperation of relevant stakeholders, agencies to vigorously campaign, advocate against the menace.
Amb. Dr. Eris Jewo Ibi noted further that AACSGBV group will explore every strategies such as campaign, policy advocacy, sensitisation and enlightenment, training and empowerment, education and support services, information and Communication, material production and distribution, partnership and collaboration to achieve various forms of SDGs such as health for all, poverty elimination and increased income generation, gender inclusiveness and adopt technology, quality education for all, end all forms of violence and conflicts, gender and climate change responsiveness, influence good governance and better economy, involve in power and decision making process at all levels, ensure improved institutional and organizational mechanism, ensure human rights, justice and others for societal development.
As part of efforts to achieve the objective of the association, AACSGBV on the “Community-Based Approaches on #talksgbv#, Speak Out Campaign” by Providing the way- forward, Solutions to the Challenges face in Delta State, and Nigeria in general; the contemporary issues on the menace as justice done to different topics by the twelve-persons panelists, resource persons at the event during the SGBV 2021 Asaba, Delta State Conference. The discussants drawn from the leadership of AASCGBV, Delta State, Government representatives, development partners, the State Coordinator, Director, Delta State Human Rights Commission addressed various ways the menace can be reduced or completely eradicated in Delta State.
The speakers stated that there must be a joint efforts by all critical stakeholders towards ending SGBV in Delta State, and in Nigeria, while enjoining leaders of the group and other critical stakeholders entrusted with the responsibilities to use advocacy and other workable strategies involving Community based organizations.
The leadership also inaugurated policy advocacy, campaign leaders from the three Senatorial districts of the State, 25 Local Government Areas of Delta State, then urged them on the need to educate families, wards and those at the grassroots- both the boy and girl child on the danger as well as intensify campaign, monitor various agents of socialization, and interventionist agencies in the State to end the menace as sometimes victims, women or girls can be remote cause of the violence against them by perpetrators.