Kuje Area Council of the FCT has pledged to collaborate
with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to
fight Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in the council.
The Chairman of the council, Alhaji Abdullahi Sabo, made the pledge at a one-day community advocacy/dialogue on SGBV issues, organised by NAPTIP for stakeholders in Kuje on Thursday.
Sabo, who was represented by Abdullahi Sabo (Snr), said that the council would fight SGBV through advocacy and service provision.
He said the council would also set up response centres across the 10 political wards to support the fight.
He added that “the time for complacency has long gone; it is time for action.
“We can no longer watch over 70 per cent of women in our communities face physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.
“For effective response to this menace, the need for collaboration by the different sectors in the society cannot be over-emphasised.
“As an institution, we need to support survivors of SGBV and hold the perpetrators accountable.”
Earlier, the NAPTIP Director-General, Prof. Fatima Waziri-Azi, had said that the dialogue was aimed at discussing unique roles of community stakeholders toward reducing SGBV in the FCT.
She explained that it was also to empower community members to recognise early signs of abuse, promptly intervene and create zero tolerance culture to the menace.
“We must collectively continue to create a supportive environment where survivors
feel empowered to report cases of SGBV, this lies in the hands of the communities.
“Some parents can be complacent and may fail to protect their children from abusive and exploitative situations.”
Waziri-Azi, therefore, encouraged Nigerians to report cases of SGBV to NAPTIP, as well as preserve evidences, especially rape case.(NAN)
By Aderogba George
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