Project Alert, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) has trained 360 community volunteers on reporting and referrals of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) cases in Sokoto rural communities.
Dr Mudassir Ahmad-Gado, the Project Alert Focal Person in Sokoto state, said the volunteers engaged were from Sokoto North and Tangaza Local Government Areas respectively.
Ahmad-Gado said the teams comprised 90 men and 90 women in each of the two local government areas.
He said that they were empowered with basic skills on handling survivors, reporting perpetrators and surrounding circumstances.
He said that the exercise was part of EU-UN Spotlight Initiative Project aimed at elimination of violence against women and girls.
According to him, the exercise is a capacity building for the groups and participating groups include community based organisations, rights groups, religious associations as well as youth and women groups.
A facilitator, Dr Auwal Ahmad-Musa, dwelt on the history and rising cases of GBV in our societies as well as educated the participants on prevailing laws and authoritative platforms to channel complaints.
Ahmad-Musa underscored the need to increase awareness and community networking against all forms of GBV and violence against women and girls.
Another resource person and legal practitioner Rasheedat Muhammad led discussions on broadened nature of human abuses, frequent cases of sexual abuses, marriage disputes as well as emotional and physical forms of violence.
Hajia Kulu Nuhu, the Acting Permanent Secretary in Sokoto State Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, said that the state was working toward domesticating of child protection rights and other laws to protect women and children.
Nuhu emphasised on the need for more security agencies, religious and traditional rulers’ commitment on ensuring violence-free society as well as protecting women and girls noting that many cases were unreported in the communities.(NAN)
