A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), in collaboration with Spotlight Initiative, has held a two-day capacity building workshop for the justice sector and stakeholders on standard operating procedures for handling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), Harmful Traditional Practices (HTP), Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), among others.
Those who participated in the workshop were police officers, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and NGOs drawn from Adamawa, Sokoto and the Federal Capital Territory.
Addressing participants in Abuja on Monday, the Executive Director of CSJ, Eze Onyekpere, said that the workshop will enable participants to tackle the menace of SGBV, VAWG and others effectively.
He said: “This is a workshop with a difference. Over the past one and half years, we have been trying to build capacity and raise awareness and knowledge especially on SGBV, but this workshop is focusing on the practicals, the standard operating procedures that should be used, which will take care of the plight of survivors and victims.
“We have invited representatives from the justice sector and security agencies from Adamawa, Sokoto and FCT. The key outcome we are expecting at the end of the two-day workshop is that the key government officials in these institutions are better able and positioned to deliver evidence-based, multi-sectoral programming that prevents and responds to VAWG and SGBV, especially for women and girls facing inter setting and multiple forms of discrimination.
“In terms of output, we expect that justice sector partners will understand the standard operating procedures for handling SGBV and better able to respond to survivors of SGBV. The activity is about strengthening the capacity of justice sector partners in the National Human Rights Commission, Nigeria Police Force, NSCDC, among others, on how to practically use good and fit practices in response to SGBV. The key objective is to build the capacity of participants in understanding guiding principles and procedures in handling SGBV cases,” Onyekpere said.
Also speaking, the Medical Director of Bwari General Hospital, Dr Osayande Osagie, said the workshop is coming at the right time, following widespread cases of SGBV, even as he urged participants to contribute their quota in tackling the menace.
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