Benue State Government has appealed to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) and other development partners to support the establishment of more Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) in the state.
Mrs Martha Edor, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, made the appeal on Monday in Makurdi. The European Union Support to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (ESGBV) Programme is implemented by the International IDEA.
Edor said the state currently had only one SARC, which was inadequate to provide comprehensive services to survivors across the state.
“Benue had no government-owned shelter for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV),” She said. She added that existing shelters were operated by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
The permanent secretary further said the establishment of additional SARCs and a government-owned shelter would improve access to medical, psychosocial, protection and other essential services for survivors, particularly those in underserved areas.
She also appealed for capacity building for service providers, stressing that government could not address the challenges of SGBV alone.
Edor appreciated the support and collaboration of development partners, saying stronger partnerships were needed to complement government efforts in combating SGBV.
Mrs Juliet Olumuyiwa-Rufai, GBV Cross-Sector Service Provision and Protection Specialist and Lead, Component ‘2’ of the ESGBV Programme, said International IDEA was seeking stronger collaboration with the Benue Government to improve the state’s response to SGBV.
Olumuyiwa-Rufai said the EU-funded programme was designed to prevent SGBV, strengthen institutional responses and provide essential services to survivors.
She said SGBV affected people irrespective of age or gender, noting that practitioners handled cases involving children, elderly women and male survivors.
According to her, the ESGBV Programme has three components focusing on strengthening legislation, improving survivor services and promoting positive social norms to prevent SGBV.
She said Component Two, which she leads, focused on healthcare, psychosocial support, justice, referrals, shelters and protection services for survivors.
Olumuyiwa-Rufai noted that Nigeria had about 52 SARCs, but stressed that the existence of such centres was not enough unless they were functional, accessible and capable of providing comprehensive services to survivors.
She said International IDEA would work with the Benue Government to strengthen leadership and coordination of the state’s SGBV response, while recognising government as the owner of its institutions and processes.
The specialist stated that the programme would also support improved GBV data collection and management, referral pathways, shelters, psychosocial services and community-based interventions, particularly in hard-to-reach communities and Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.
She stressed the need for GBV-responsive budgeting and capacity building for service providers, including measures to address vicarious trauma and secondary traumatisation among professionals working with survivors.
Olumuyiwa-Rufai said the programme was expected to run for about four years, providing opportunities for sustained collaboration and institutionalisation of SGBV interventions in the state.
Mrs Gloria Bai, Benue State Coordinator of the ESGBV Programme, identified inadequate shelters and gaps in functional survivor-service facilities as major challenges to the state’s SGBV response.
Bai called for the identification of a dedicated space within the Ministry of Women Affairs for an SGBV unit that could be supported and equipped under Component Two of the programme.
She also proposed that available government facilities, including the Cancer Centre and Memuna Kontagora Hostel, be assessed for possible conversion into a confidential shelter for SGBV survivors.
Bai said the existing SARC should also be assessed to determine whether it had doctors, counsellors, social welfare personnel, medical services and functional forensic equipment.
She said proper forensic evidence collection was critical in rape cases, as it could assist survivors in obtaining justice.
Bai urged stakeholders to move beyond discussions and undertake physical assessments of available facilities to identify gaps and determine the specific support required to make survivor services fully operational.
(NAN)
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