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From Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
At least one in every four girls are said to have experienced a form of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) before attaining the age of 18.
Executive Director of Sexual Offences Awareness and Response (SOAR) Initiative, Mrs. Chinyere Eyoh stated this at a two-day training organized recently by SOAR Initiative in collaboration with the Benue State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (MWASD) with participants drawn from the State Child Rights Implementation Committee (SCRIC) and relevant security agencies. The Permanent Secretary of MWASD was ably represented by the Director, Child Development Mrs. Chenge Paulyn.
She disclosed that since 2008 when SOAR Initiative got registered, it has attended to over 200,000 children and handled more than 222 cases of sexual abuse with most of the perpetrators being close relatives, friends or family of the victims.
“It is sad to record that 1 in every 4 girls have experienced a form of SGBV before the age of 18. In SOAR we relentlessly work to identify stakeholders to create and ensure safe spaces for our children,” Eyoh said.
While noting that the project which is being funded in Benue State by the United Nations Trust Fund (UNTF) and covers two IDP camps in Guma and Gwer-West LGA, the SOAR boss said the project cannot be successful if the body responsible for implementing the law is not strengthened.
It was for this reason that SOAR Initiative recently held the two-day training for stakeholders in the state to brainstorm on the need to rise up to the challenge of ensuring that the rights of the Benue girl child is adequately protected through the implementation of enabling laws.
The project titled; ‘Strengthening Communities in Emergencies to Address Sexual Based Violence Against Girls Within the COVID-19 Pandemic Context in Benue State Nigeria’ is to, among other things, build the capacity of the members of SCRIC to meet the demands of adequately responding to the protection of child rights in the state.
“The idea to revive the body will help facilitate response to child protection issues encountered in the course of the project and beyond, to an end that the CRIC is well informed of their duties and equipped enough to see the relevance of its sustainability in the state.”
Eyoh lamented that although the Child Rights Law was domesticated in Benue State in 2008, it has not been adequately implemented.
“The Child Rights Implementation Committee (CRIC) is responsible for the implementation of these laws, making sure that the family court is functional and ensuring that services are provided to children in need.
“The CRIC ensures that children have a representative in the court and that the public is aware of the CRL and its provision via documents and the media. The CRIC also ensures that protective mechanisms are in place in schools, and that children are aware of their rights and where to go for services.
“Though the Benue state CRL came into effect in 2008, there is still inadequate awareness about the existence and provisions of the law among the general public including those directly involved in child protection,” Eyoh said.
Various training sessions were taken by Mr. Awuapilla Nathaniel, a consultant with SOAR Initiative who was also assisted by Barrister Joseph Gbagyo.
