From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
The Kogi State Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Fatima Kabir Buba on Thursday inaugurated 23-Member Technical Working Group to tackle cases of Gender Basedviolence in the state.
The Commissioner who said that the development is part of government’s efforts to ensure gender equality in all spheres of human life, charged committee members to work in accordance with the workgroup terms of reference.
The commissioner who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mrs Andy Stella Maries to perform the ceremony, also admonished members of the technical working group to take the assignmen very serioust as government is determined to end all sorts of violence against the societies Vulnerable and restore human dignity in all spheres of life.
The commissioner described gender based violence as common social problem in Nigeria especially in the Northern part of Nigeria and called on government at all levels and spirited individuals to move against the odd.
“There has been an increase in the cases of domestic violence, sexual exploitation, forced early marriage, and rape of minors since the spate of Boko Haram insurgency.
“There exist alarming statistics on the current wave of this vices which were said to have been aggravated by Covid-19 pandemic and its associated lockdown and natural disasters” the commissioner explained.
Following the ugly trend, the commissioner said that Kogi is ready to key into the Federal Government’s measures to tackle the menace.
She gave an assurance that Kogi government will not relent in taking proactive measures to curb and de-escalate the continual rising incidences of SGBV in the state.
According to the Commissioner “Among the efforts put in place to tackle the menace were creation of the SGBV Dashboard and Situation room unit for gathering of credible data to that will serve as holistic policy guide and action towards the incidence as well as domestication and passage of the state VAPP Bill which was graciously assented to by Governor Yahaya Bello.
The Kogi State Technical Working Group On Sexual/Gender Basedviolence has the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Andy Stella Maries as Chairperson and Inah Husseni Isaac as Secretary.