A Bauchi based NGO, Ikra Foundation for Women and Youth Development (IFWYD), has called for provision of shelter for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Darazo Local Government Area of the state.
Mrs Shamsiya Isa, the Gender Officer of the Foundation, made the call during a one-day orientation exercise and inauguration of GBV Referral and Response Network in Darazo on Thursday.
Isa said that psychosocial support was key in protecting evidence of GBV, adding that the safety of the survivors must be guaranteed at all times.
She stressed the need to provide office accommodation to the network to enhance its operations in the area.
According to her, 20 members of the network consists of security agencies, health workers, community and religious leaders, paralegal, women and youth groups.
She said that members of the group would be subdivided into four teams namely: safe and security; health, psycho-social and paralegal.
She said the Foundation relied on the Bauchi State Law 2017; Penal code and Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act, in its campaign against GBV.
“To break the culture of silence, the survivors should have a decent shelter not to tamper with the case. The network will be a community driven structure to bring an end to GBV,” she said.
In his remarks, Mr Suleiman Jubrin, the Judge, Shariah Court, Darazo, said that there was need for community leaders to accommodate GBV survivors in their respective domains.
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He reitetrated the commitment of the Judges and Magistrates’ to address cases of GBV in the area.
“From our various courts in Darazo LGA, we contact the nearest community leader for shelter of the GBV survivors and they obliged,’’ he said.
Also speaking, Mrs Easter Patrick, Deputy Director, Bauchi State Ministry of Women Affairs, assured of the state government readiness to sustain campaign against GBV.
Patrick said the ministry as an entry point to the communities would ensure effective implementation of the GBV programmes.
She said that collective collaboration between stakeholders was necessary to ensure that perpetrators of the offence were punished accordingly.
The director advised members of the network to actively participate in the initiative to achieve the desired goals.
On her part, Mrs Kaltume Babayo, the IFWYD Coordinator in Darazo, also assured that the office accommodation would soon be secure for proper coordination of its activities.
The GBV Referral and Response Network was inaugurated by the IFWYD in partnership with Bauchi State Ministry of Women Affairs, and supported by UNFPA and Government of Canada.
