Commemorating the 16 days of Activism against Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) with the 2023 theme of “UNiTE; Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls”, the British Council’s European Union Agents for citizen-driven Transformation (EUACT) organized a high-level stakeholders dialogue for the review of Sexual and Gender-based Violence implementation mechanism in Rivers State. The event which took place at Novotel Hotel, 2 Stadium Road, Port Harcourt on the 27th day of November, 2023 was implemented by a consortium of five (5) EU-ACT CSO partners in Rivers State, they are: D-Ability Initiative, Talklove Africa, Youth and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC), Coalition of Eastern NGOs of Nigeria (CENGOs). Representing CHHELD at the event was the Acting Executive Director/Program Director, Dandyson Harry Dandyson, and Program Officer, David Prince.
The event began with opening remarks from Mr. Temple Oraeki, the EU-ACT State Focal Person. He welcomed participants, which comprised of government officials, academia, security agencies, CSOs and the media. He mentioned that the event is organized with the aim of addressing the prevailing menace of SGBV in Rivers State and the nation at large. He called for continuous inter-agency collaboration in order to tackle the prevalence of SGBV in the state.
Mrs. Cynthia Obinwanne, the Executive Director of Talklove Africa gave an overview of the 16 days of activism against SGBV. 16 days of activism against SGBV is an international campaign that runs from November 25 to December 10 every year. It aims at raising awareness about gender-based violence, and advocate for its prevention.
The Executive Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency Sir. Siminalaye J. Fubara who was ably represented by his Special Adviser on Gender, Hon. Owutubo Lydia formally declared the high-level dialogue open and wished all participants a fruitful deliberation and knowledge sharing in order to curb SGBV in Rivers State.
Some representative of government agencies, academia, security agencies and CSOs gave goodwill messages. Amongst them are SA on Gender to Rivers State Governor, Hon. Owutubo Lydia; Nwamaka Ikedishi, Commandant, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Rivers State State Command; Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice Rivers State, ably represented by Mr. Amadi Chigozie, Director, Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP); Commissioner for Women Affairs ably represented by her Special Assistant Media, Publicity and Protocol, Elder Omoni Ayo-Tamuno; Dr. Vetty Agala, National Coordinator/Secretary, Medical women Association, Rivers State; Elder; Prof. Joyce Akaniwo representing the Vice Chancellor, UNIPORT, Dr. Vernoica Eke representing Rivers State College Health Science and Management Technology; Brigadier General E.U Effiong, Commander 6th Division Garrison ably representing Major General G.H Abdulsalam, Commander 6th Division Nigerian Army; Stella-Maris Amede, Assistant State Commander, Drug Demand Reduction Unit (DDRU), NDLEA Rivers State, and Dr. Mina Ogbanga, Chief Operating Officer, RINNGOs.
The Commandant of NAPTIP, Rivers State Command, Mrs. Nwamaka Ikedishi, ably represented by Mrs. Salamatu Nasri, NAPTIP Senior Intelligence Officer gave a presentation on “Responding to SGBV: success and Challenges – the NAPTIP Experience”. The commandant mentioned that Gender-based violence is a violence targeted at individuals or groups on the basis of their gender. GBV can be manifested through a multitude of actions, including forced marriage of young girls, female genital mutilation, sexual violence, verbal abuse, human trafficking, etc. She further buttressed on the root causes of human trafficking in Nigeria, which are:
Common identified push factors
a. Economic factors – poverty, unemployment, inflation, abusive apprenticeship
b. Political factors – ineffective policies, unworkable social contract, political violence
c. Social factors – displacement, rural urban immigration, illiteracy, social media and gender inequality
Common Identified Pull Factors:
a. Perceived better opportunities elsewhere
b. Positive economy political and social stability
Dr. Vetty Agala, National Coordinator/Secretary, Medical Women Association, Rivers State gave a presentation on “Responding to SGBV: The Medical Perspective, Issues and Concerns.” She pointed out that responding to SGBV is a multi-sectoral response, that needs all hands-on deck. She highlighted that survivors may not immediately seek justice; however, they may seek medical attention, and thus the health sector is a means of helping survivors get all the psycho-social support they need. She mentioned that the there is a need for safe homes for victims of SGBV, where survivors can seek refuge away from the perpetrators of SGBV.
She highlighted some of the steps the Medical Women of Nigeria take in addressing SGBV and other medical related problems in the state, they include:
a. Data collection which is critical of development and advocacy
b. Health services for an opportune place for early intervention for victims/survivors of gender-based violence
c. Screening of STI across health facilities, both public and private
d. First line support care
e. Provision of medical reports to support legal actions
f. Referral for advocacy, legal support and psychological interventions, including mother-child work
In course of the program, there were panel discussions on the topics “Inter-agency actions towards easy implementation of laws and policies aimed at curbing SGBV in Rivers State” moderated by Queen Agba (YEAC) and “Investing in SGBV: Prevention mechanisms and funding” moderated by Dr. Kingdom Nwayanwu. Panelists called for dialogues amongst community leadership, religious leaders in communities to understand the dangers of SGBV and support victims of SGBV. Others called for active sexual assault response centres, sensitization in rural communities. The Police Control number was shared with participants, which can be called to report cases of SGBV, they are +234 (0)-803-200-3514, +234 (0)-816-072-3892.
Dandyson Harry Dandyson, the acting Executive Director/Program Director of CHHELD emphasized on the need to engage, train and partner with religious institutions in communities, in order for them to help curb SGBV.
High-level stakeholders dialogue came to an end with a review of action points based on dialogues in course of the event.
Actions points for Government
1. There is need for government agencies to factor CSOs in annual budgeting
2. Enforce laws enacted on SGBV
3. Establish of special courts to handle SGBV cases speedily.
4. Decentralization of free medical facilities around the state
5. Provision of safe homes for survivors.
6. Government should make provision for health insurance for citizens
Actions points for CSOs
1. There is a need for CSOs to be properly registered in other to continue championing advocacies on SGBV
2. CSOs should be trustworthy and accountable
3. NGOs can take steps in making safe spaces available for survivors through collaborations.
4. There is need for continuous campaigns on SGBV especially in rural areas
Actions points for collaboration between government and NGOs
1. Community sensitization to influencers in the rural areas
2. There is need to call for corporate bodies to support NGOs and government to help fight SGBV
3. There is need to call for corporate bodies to support NGOs and government to fight SGBV
4. Partner with religious groups in the communities to save the survivors from further harm before enforcing the law.
Mr. Philip Kalio of Support Initiative for Sustainable Development (SISDEV) gave the closing remarks at the end of the event, He appreciated the organizers, funders and participants during the event for their contribution in addressing SGBV in Rivers State.
