As part of strategic move to curb the menace of Sexual Gender Based Violence in Kogi State.
The State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in Collaboration with Challenged Parenthood Initiative CPI has organized a one day advocacy meeting with relevant stakeholders to design robust structure for the collection of Sexual Gender Based Violence database and management in the State.
Presenting her speech at the interactive meeting, the State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Fatima Buba Kabir said that her Ministry has viewed data gathering, collection and management as very important for meaningful action to curb Sexual Gender Based Violence in the State.
She noted that Nigeria have fully adopted the all important program with the Creation of the SGBV Dashboard and situation room unit under the planning, Research and statistics department of the Ministry, mainly for the purpose of gathering credible data which would be a major tool for the implementation of the domesticated VAP bill.
The Women Affairs Commissioner noted that the main purpose of the meeting was to brainstorm on the required collective effort at building a credible data bank for SGBV cases in Kogi State, and to take steps at translating the data into effective tools for curbing Sexual/Gender Based Violence cases in the State.
The Executive Director and the main partner of the program an NGO , Challenge Parenthood Initiative CPI Eunice
Agbogun in her remarks stated that the essence of the meeting is to jointly examine and explore the opportunities of collaborative synergy among stakeholders on data collection and management on Sexual Gender Base Violence in Kogi State.
The Executive Director noted that the gathering is basically to dialogue around opportunities and ability to address reported cases of gender based violence in the state through partnership and synergy between the Ministry of Women Affairs, CPI and other CSOs handling SGBV issues in Kogi State.
She emphasis on the fact that the state is lacking behind in the area of data collection on SGBV, said they are out to push for the governor’s assent to the VAP bill to give the drive to the implementation of the program.
She noted that her NGO is working with the ministry through the collaboration to establish a structure for proper coordination of SGBV cases in the state adding that the meeting is very strategic for the planning policy framework and implementation of Sexual Gender Based Violence Database in the State.
Mr Idris Ozovehe Chairperson of Kongonent spoke of the initiative of the program urged the participants to dwell on the matter of sustainability of the program, described it as timely.
At the end of the meeting a five man committee was set up to attract training for driving the program in the state.