Stakeholders Decry GBV Caused By Insecurity In Niger

Stakeholders including women have lamented the effect of Gender Based Violence, GBV, caused by insecurity and therefore sought united front against the trend.

The district head of Bassa, Bagudu Amos spoke at a “Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with women in conflict and peace building with the: Strengthening Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Prevention in Niger State.”

The district head yesterday in Minna decried the effects of insecurity in his domain as part of the discussion organised by the Tunani Initiative, with support from Dorothy Njemanze Foundation and Ford Foundation.

He said the discussion which was aimed at recognizing the contribution of women in the state was timely considering the effect of insecurity on women.

The director, Tunani Initiative, Maryam Mairo Ibrahim said the role of women in peace building and conflict resolution in Niger State was not given adequate recognition and called on women to break the barrier by uniting among themselves.

“In Niger State, like any other place suffering from insecurity, women are the most affected by the aftermath of the attacks and killings. When bandits attack, most of those they kill are men and the women they left behind would have to shoulder the responsibility of rebuilding the family. So, these roles are not appreciated enough,” she said.

She said the discussion centred on strengthening the visibility of the role of women in peace building process and addressing Gender-Based Violence in Niger State while calling for a well coordinated approach to address GBV through women alliance.

Also speaking the Niger State director of the National Human Rights Commission, Ambassador Nuhu Muhammad stressed the need to have more women in the state House of Assembly and the National Assembly for effective formulation of policies and laws that cater for their needs.