Ruth Oginyi
A non-governmental organization, Women’s Aid Colletive (WACOL) with support from the UNDP under the spotlight Initiative program has engaged relevant stakeholders/ MDA’s in Ebonyi on implementation of national action plans on VAWG/HP/SGBV and promotion of women’s and girls’ access to SRHR in the state.
The two-day ToT stakeholders engagement took place in Abakaliki the Ebonyi capital with a call for more commitment from relevant ministries, and CSOs, MDAs to lend their support towards the elimination of the ill practices.
Prof Joy Ngozi Ezeilo SAN, a Nigerian legal scholar and founder of Women Aid Collective, Tamar Sexual Assault Referral Centre, and the West African Women’s Rights Coalition represented by senior Program officer on the health of the organization Anulika Ezennia in her remarks explained that the training directly funded by UNDP under spotlight program wants the national plan on elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls to be replicated at the state level.
She noted that each geopolitical zone of the country also has a zonal plan on VAWG/HP/SGBV and promotion of women’s and girls’ access to SRHR thus the need for the state to develop its own.
“We want the National plan on eliminating VAWG to be replicated at the state level.
“The training is to enlighten different ministries, and CSOs on the national plan and rob minds on how we can replicate that at the state level hopefully, we are going to develop a five-year action plan, and we believe that when it is developed, it will help the state government to know how to go on ending all forms of VAWG in the state”. Ezeilo said.
Ebonyi state commissioner for women affairs and social development Chinwe Okah represented by Ibinna Marcelina HOD women affairs in the ministry in her speech commended WACOL for always bringing positive programs to the state and expressed hope that the proposed work plan when it is fully developed will be a guide to the state government in the elimination of gbv.
She assured the organization of a good working relationship with the ministry.
Nancy Oko-Onyia the CEO of NIWA in her contribution called for conflict management training for people working under gbv pointing out that in mediating on gbv issues, conflict must be resolved.
Goodness Mgbaja, from CIRDDOC Nigeria, and Lady Flora Egwu of the State GBV team noted that to eliminate VAWG stakeholders should be willing and try to identify the issue first before seeking a solution.
Helen Kalu one of the resource persons explained that The NAP’s objectives are compiled under five overarching thematic pillars which are prevention and disaster preparedness; participation and representation; protection and prosecution; crisis management, early recovery, and post-conflict reconstruction; and partnerships, coordination, and management.
Kalu said the strategic goals have complementary actions, outcomes, indicators, target completion time-frames, and lead actors.
According to her, the Action Plan will help whoever engages with the government and international donor communities to seek funds to implement these strategic documents for the total elimination of all forms of violence in Ebonyi State whether persons living with disability, male or female, out-of-school and whoever rights are violated.
“The document will also have a proposition for an advisory and technical committee. It bears mentioning that once the document is ready and various MDAs in Ebonyi state, run with it, it means they have the next five years for their accountability measures so they can access how far they have gone. The elimination of VAWG will usher in gender equality in Ebonyi State and Nigeria at large.”
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