A non-governmental organisation, Concerned Women International Development Initiative (CWIDI), has called on the Benue State government to strengthen the Assault Referral Centre to address cases of gender-based violence against women, particularly female sex workers in the state.
The executive director, Bridget Okeke, made the call during a close-out event of the organisation’s two years Amplify Change-supported project tagged; “Enhancing Protection from Gender -Based Violence for Female Sex Workers” held in Makurdi, the Benue State Capital yesterday.
Represented by the programmes director, Becky Gbihi, Okeke stated that the female gender had faced serious sexual violence, but found it difficult to speak out due to non-functional referral centre that should provide legal protection.
She disclosed that in the last two years CWIDI had referred 25 cases of gender violence to the human rights office, NATIP and FIDA among others.
According to her, in the past 24 months, the organisation has been trying to address critical gaps, improving knowledge of existing legal protections and strengthening access to justice for female sex workers who are constantly experiencing gender-based violence.
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