Stakeholders Unite to Smash GBV Barriers In Rivers State

By: Raphael Ekwe

In a bid to crushed gender-based violence in Rivers State, stakeholders from government ministries, security agencies, civil society organizations, Religious and traditional institutions gathered in Port Harcourt to brainstorm on a unified Standard Operating Procedure. (SOP)

Speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary Rivers State Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Mrs Lauretta Dimkpa-Davies, declared the meeting a decisive step forward after years of scattered efforts.

“A lot of work has gone into this Gender Based Violence sensitization, seminars and all that. And gathered here are some of the stakeholders in the fight against gender-based violence,” she said.

Mrs Dimkpa-Davies stressed that the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law 2020 already exists, yet coordination remains the missing link.

“What we have gathered here to do is to put up a standard operating manual. Because we have a lot of stakeholders when it comes to VAPP law and GBV,” she explained.

She noted that the key players including relevant ministries, departments and agencies, the police, the Judiciary and religious bodies needs to collaborate more in order to achieve a common goal against GBV.

“So that everybody can run towards the same direction, we need to synergize our efforts,” Dimkpa-Davies declared.

The permanent secretary revealed that the ministry is pushing hard into communities through its zonal offices, even though not all 23 local government areas are yet covered.

“We go down to the grassroots to ensure that sensitization is done. Beyond that, we have religious leaders at the grassroots that we work with,” she said.

“GBV is not an issue that you keep to yourself. You speak up. If you see something, you say something. If something is done to you, you say something,” Dimkpa-Davies insisted.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Rachel Opadola, in charge of Gender and Human Trafficking for the Rivers State Police Command, revealed that officers across divisions have undergone fresh training on handling survivors with dignity.

“They are supposed to take their matter in confidentiality, not to body shame them. They have to talk to them with politeness,” Opadola stated.

She warned that some traditional rulers continue to compound the problem by treating gender-based violence as a minor issue rather than a crime against fundamental rights.

The project lead from the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD), Mr. Josiah Egbilika said the discussions and recommendations would feed directly into the drafting of the state’s Standard Operating Procedure, SOP.

“Now going forward, we will now gather this input and begin to draft the standard of operative procedure. When we now draft it, the next stage will be for them to validate,” Egbilika explained.

He expressed gratitude to Rise Up Together for funding the initiative and to the Rivers State Ministry of Social Welfare and other state institutions for their partnership, adding that the eventual launch of the SOP would mark a major turning point in the fight against gender-based violence across the state.

The Event had Representatives from Religious and Traditional Institutions, Civil Society Organizations, Security Agencies, Media amongst others.