SOAR INITIATIVE SUPPORTS MINISTRY OF WOMEN AFFAIRS’ CHILD RIGHT IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE
With the United Nations declaration of the Rights of the Child, Stakeholders are brainstorming on efficacious means to put an end to Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) against children in Benue state.
In pursuant to achieving the above, Sexual Offences Awareness and Response Initiative, SOAR, (a non-governmental organization) has recently organized a human capacity training for Members of the State Child Right Implementation Committee, (SCRIC).
The training session cuts across such thematic areas as: legal framework in addressing child protection, policy context and framework for child protection, duties and responsibilities of SCRIC, how to handle cases of SGBV, clarification of concepts of SGBV, understanding SGBV as human right violation, how to create safer schools, homes and communities, as well as development of an action plan for January to June 2022.
Director Child Development, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Chenge Paulyn Mimi appreciated the good work SOAR Initiative has brought to Benue State and assured of the Ministry’s commitment towards the sustainability of SCRIC. Promising that Local Government Child Right Implementation Committee will also be revived by the virtue of the training received.
She further encouraged members of SCRIC, to take the knowledge and skills learnt from the training to their individual organizations and government agencies, so that the goal of ending SGBV can reach the nooks and crannies of Benue State.
In the same vein, the Executive Director SOAR Initiative, Mrs. Chinyere Eyoh lauded the participants for attending the training, and United Nations Trust Fund (UNTF) for their support thus far. “The need to support the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, in reviving and sustaining the work of SCRIC against violations on children became necessary following the increase in the number of violation cases; in terms of physical, emotional, child neglect, sexual as well psychological abuse,” she said. Further adding that, “in recent times, children especially the girl child has become object of sexual abuse, especially in schools; hence the urgent need to empower SCRIC through human capacity training.”
The SOAR director, also pledged to give quarterly support for SCRIC logistics, in other to sustain its activities, and this will last till May 2024. She thanked the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development Benue State, for creating an enabling environment for the smooth revival of SCRIC in the State.
Lead training facilitator, Nathaniel Msen Awuapila; Legal Officer of Civil Organization Research Advocacy and Funding Initiative Development (CORAFID), Joseph Gbagyo; MWASD instructor Paul Amokaha; and Technical Staff of SOAR Initiative, which included: Njoku Chibuzor and Janet Aba, delivered resource materials to SCRIC participants.
Speaking after the meeting, Ag. Director, Ministry of Education, Mr Aniho Terkimbi said “this has become a great eye opener for us as education stakeholders and government agencies. We must see that the issue of SGBV is vigorously addressed, sensitize parents and school owners to speak out against Sexual and Gender Based Violence.”
SCRIC Members like Mary Ochenjele of Ministry of Justice and Aluga Doosuur of Ministry of Health and Human Services, decried the flawed nature of SCRIC, while pledging a commitment of their Ministries to revamp it.
Other members of Benue State Child Right Implementation Committee include: Child Protection Network (CPN), Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Justice, Nigerian Correctional Service, Nigerian Police Force, Representative of the family Court among others.
