By Stanley Onyekwere
In order to effectively mitigate the menace of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), citizens, community leaders and healthcare workers are enjoined to encourage victims to always speak up and report such cases to relevant authorities.
In particular, in reporting cases, concern citizens are charged to make sure that they prevent such violence by also speaking up against people who are becoming violent in their environment.
This charge was handed down by a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Abiodun Essiet Initiative for Girls (AEIG), yesterday, at a one day capacity workshop for health workers at various Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) and members of Ward Development Committee (WDC) in Gwagwalada and Kuje Area Councils of Abuja.
According to AEIG Project Officer, Josephine Emeghoghena, who represented the Founder of the NGO, disclosed that from the feedback they are getting, SGBV cases reported at PHCs, health workers handle them to the best of their ability, adding that with the training, they will do better in tackling the menace.
She said: “We want to build their capacity on how to effectively address SGBV. They will be enabled to know how to attend to victims who report cases to them, so as to properly handle such cases.
“The cardinal message is that we all, and not just the health workers alone should take SGBV cases seriously, by always reporting such whenever it takes place in our environment.
“We should act fast because lives are matter. If there are issues of spousal battery or rape, the person’s (victim’s) life is in danger. There is a tendency that there might be death. So, as concern citizens, we have to act quickly by reporting cases and make sure that we prevent such violence”.
Similarly, Chairman FCT Chapter of Ward Development Committee (WDC), Gerald Telah, noted when SGBV happen, they encourage people to report to the community leaders within the PHC facility, who will intervene for further necessary action.
He stressed the need for members of communities to be security conscious especially how they leave their wards, to ensure that they are not vulnerable to SGBV perpetrators.
He also explained that WDC performs oversight function of various primary healthcare centers in FCT and mobilises people to go and get PHCs services.
He adds: “We try to raise funds to assist the clinics to meet some basic needs as well as liaise between the clinics and relevant authorities either at the Local Government level or at the FCTA level”.
