By Stanley Onyekwere
In order to boost fight against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), the Abiodun Essiet Initiative for Girls (AEIG), is advocating that relevant government agencies set up safe place centres in communities and institutions, where people can go to and report cases of SGBV in the FCT.
AEIG, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), noted that the safe-place centres will not be on its own alone, as it will be connected to different institutions like legal, police, medical and social units across different areas.
Executive Director of the NGO, Abiodun Essiet, made this point yesterday , during a one-day training of village heads and traditional rulers in Kwali and Abaji Area Councils, themed “Strengthening traditional justice system of FCT original inhabitants to combat sexual and gender-based violence”.
According to her: “This is so that when you have a case , there will be necessary people to address it squarely. Some of the issues that are affecting the prosecution of offenders, like when victims are being pressurised to pay money for case file and arrest suspects.
“These are victims that don’t have enough money, as they are in poverty, and are being stressed on daily basis by different institutions that are supposed to curb issues around sexual and gender based violence to raise money for them to prosecute.
“ It’s not the responsibility of the victims to fund the prosecution of cases, as government institutions that are supposed to take that authority and fund the prosecution of cases.
“Every violence happens in a community, and from what the participants are sharing with us, it shows that they have been experience such issues, which portrays the importance of this training.
“They are happy with the training, that’s why they are requesting that we should organise it every three months, for them to really refresh their memories and check experiences so far in handling cases.”
No fewer than seventy (70) district and village heads from Kwali and Abaji Area Councils were exposed to talks on handling SGBV cases and enlightenment about Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act as well as Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanism, so that they can do their dispute resolution in a well confidential manner.
