Parents and guardians are asked to report instances of sexual and gender-based abuse to the proper authorities, according to the Action Committee on Sexual and Gender-Based abuse (SGBV).
The counsel was given by the committee’s chair, Hajia Talatu Musa, to journalists on Tuesday in Bauchi during a one-day meeting to create a work schedule for the year 2024.One of the major obstacles to resolving sexual and gender-based violence in the state, according to Musa, is a lack of reporting.
She stated that reporting to parents and guardians was difficult since many still believed that sexual and gender-based abuse issues should be kept private.
“People always think it’s better to remain quiet to protect the survivor or the perpetrator because they don’t want to speak out for fear of stigmatising the survivor or exposing shame if the perpetrator is a friend or family member,” says one observer.
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The Committee was founded by the First Lady of Bauchi State, Hajia AAISHA Bala Mohammed, in July 2020 to raise awareness of SGBV, according to the committee’s chairperson.
She stated that it is the Committee’s duty to take proactive steps, working with state stakeholders, to reduce the crime of sexual and gender-based violence.
We will create a work schedule for 2024 that will outline a number of tasks to be completed, she said.
The work plan, according to Musa, will direct the committee in carrying out tasks including sensitization, raising awareness, providing medical support, and paying visits to survivors, among other tasks.
The Committee, according to the Secretary, has been working with various parties, and since it was established three years ago, significant accomplishments have been made.
At the Specialist hospital, we have built a centre with the First Lady’s cooperation to offer survivors of SGBVs free, private medical care, she stated.
She added that the services are free and that the Committee has also constructed a shelter to act as a temporary residence for SGBV survivors.
In that regard, she added, “Even the transportation of victims from outlying places is free of charge; when you bring a survivor to us, we reimburse all of your expenses for the survivor.
She claims that the Committee has gotten involved in more than 300 cases involving sexual assault, deprivation, child abuse, and other forms of gender- or sexual-based violence.
She stated that in order to achieve justice for SGBV survivors in the state, the committee is collaborating with the police and other law enforcement organisations.
She said, “We also have response teams spread across the state’s 20 local government areas. “Whenever we have a case, we call the police, and the police take action on it.”She thanked Governor Bala Mohammed for approving and releasing monies to the Committee to conduct its business and appealed for more in light of the committee’s enormous task at hand.
According to her, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Human Rights Commission, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Social Welfare, NAWOJ, the Ministry of Justice, and the Hospital Management Board are among the Committee’s stakeholders.
