By Hassan John
Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, has disclosed that women, children and girls are always negatively impacted by effect of emergency situations.
She disclosed this at the formal hand-over of global lead on the Call to Action (CtA) on protection from Gender- Based Violence in emergencies, in Abuja.
According to the Minister: “In the face of various violent conflicts in Nigeria which have claimed many lives, caused properties worth millions of naira to be destroyed and brought about untold hardship to the people, as well as cause socio-economic backwardness in the country, GBV cases have also doubled.
“The recent incidences of flooding and of course the COVID-19 pandemic have also had negative resultant effects on the Nigerian society leading to an increase in the number of displaced persons living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps.
“No doubt, women and children, including girls are most negatively impacted by the effects of these emergency situations.”
Dame Tallen disclosed that the implementation of the CtA on Protection from Gender-Based Violence in emergencies introduced in Nigeria in 2018 has brought about innovations in the way partners address Gender-Based Violence in emergencies.
“In the wake of the renewed vision of the CtA, in 2022, I was privileged to serve as co-Chair of the Strategic Task Team alongside the Global Lead of the Call to Action, His Excellency, Sune Krogstup, the Ambassador of Denmark, a true HeforShe Champion in Nigeria on Gender-Based Violence, as he hands over to the new Global Lead; Germany whose Ambassador is a Woman,” she said.
The Minister, however, said that the outgoing lead of the CtA, over the years, was able to improve access to quality lifesaving and well-coordinated GBV response services for survivors and individuals at risk through adequate GBV Case Management. She also noted that the allocation of mental health and psychosocial support services, and strengthening community and family support amongst others; enhance well-being among survivors and vulnerable individuals through survivor-centred service provision and GBV risk mitigation efforts; provide peer support, skills building and empowerment programmes.
The services, according to her, also enhance integrated facility, dignity kits production amongst many others; integrate GBV mainstreaming and risk mitigation; and strengthen community resilience and systems/institutions that prevent and respond to gender-based violence including harmful practices amongst many others.
Speaking, the Resident Representative of United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA), Ms. Ulla Mueller, explained that CtA on protection from Gender-Based Violence gives direction to the work of GBV partners so that the commitments made by partners to address GBV are translated into concrete and targeted actions on the ground.
In what can be seen as agenda setting, the Ms Mueller, charged the new global leadership for the Call to Action to enumerate the roles and responsibilities of the Co-chair of the CtA; elaborate the Achievements of the Outgoing chairman; identify bottlenecks and gaps in implementing call to action activities and discuss shared understanding of the roles of different actors in the Call-to-Action initiative.
