By Ruth Oginyi
CIRDDOC Nigeria a human rights organization with support from TechSAH Friday established a community response committee to tackle SRGBV in Ebonyi.
The event was part of a policy dialogue with stakeholders from different communities, and institutions to end the ugly trend held in Abakaliki, Ebonyi state capital.
The policy dialogue was aimed at establishing community structures and coordination mechanisms to promote gender equitable norms, and prevent and respond to VAWG/ SRGBV/ HP SRHR in school and community environments as part of the EU-UN spotlight program in the state.
Correspondent reports that the EU-UN spotlight initiative came to look at some of the problems in Nigeria. Sexual gender-based violence over the years has been swept under the carpet, but now the spotlight wants to bring it to the front burner so that people will know how serious it is and how to eliminate it.
Mazi Jerry Udeorji state focal person TechSAH in a remark said TechSAH is collaborating with CIRDDOC to implement the project in Ebonyi State.
According to him, It is a project that is looking at sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls in Ebonyi State.
"We want to know the prevailing sexual gender-based violence and also other harmful practices.
"Who are the key actors, and their roles if such happens?
"We raised a response committee that will be looking at the issue of GBV and harmful practices.
The committee is made up of security agents, teachers, traditional rulers, CSOs, and community leaders among others".Mazi Jerry said.
Udeorji noted that rape, unwanted pregnancy, FGM, and abandonment are prevailing in the state and need to be addressed.
A participant Lorriet Nwafor in her submission identified the use of hot iron to massage teenagers' breasts so that they will not develop breasts on time as a new gbv in rural areas and should be tackled immediately as such could cause cancer in young girls.
Another participant, Austine Onwe noted that for gbv to be eliminated traditional rulers should stop meditating on such issues when reported rather they should take such matters to the appropriate authority such as the police for onward investigation and prosecution.
Police public relations officer in Ebonyi SP Chris Anyanwu urged the people to always report issues of gbv to the police so that the perpetrator will be prosecuted accordingly.
