Women Demand Better Handling Of Gender-based Violence Referrals

A group, Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), has pleaded with the Ministry of Women Affairs and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) to improve the handling of referred gender-based violence (GBV) cases in Nigeria.

The group said prompt attention, effective communication and stronger collaboration were necessary to ensure justice for victims of violence against women and girls.

The senior executive and legal officer of WRAPA, Barr.  Kamila Farouq Shehu, made the call yesterday in a chat with journalists during the training of trainers’ programme in Abuja.

The training was organised under WRAPA’s intervention project on strengthening access to justice and response mechanisms for violence against women and girls.

Shehu said the initiative was designed to bridge existing gaps and equip the participants with practical knowledge on available justice pathways.

According to her, officers from four key organisations were brought together to train community representatives and frontline workers who often receive complaints from victims at the grassroots.

She said, “This is the second phase of the training. We want the participants to understand where to go, what to do and how to support survivors seeking justice.

“We also want people to know that these institutions are accessible. If they cannot reach us at WRAPA, they can walk into these offices and seek help directly,” Shehu said.

She urged government agencies receiving referrals from civil society organisations (CSOs) to give such cases urgent attention.

Shehu said, “When we refer cases, we do so carefully because we understand the system may already be overburdened. We do not refer every case. Many matters are resolved internally. So, any case we escalate is usually important.

“We would also like more feedback without always having to prompt. We want to know the stage a case has reached or reasons for delay,” she said, adding that regular cooperation between non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and public institutions would improve response time and justice delivery.

Also, GBV coordinator of the Association of Women in Trade and Agriculture, Amah Yemi-Samuel, said more needed to be done to tackle the rising cases of abuse.

She said despite awareness campaigns and intervention programmes, incidents of violence were still increasing.

“The government has not done enough in the area of information dissemination. We now have radio stations and social media that can be used to educate the public,” she said.

Yemi-Samuel also called for a comprehensive federal law against GBV and inclusion of preventive education in schools.

Another participant, Faith Rejoice Daniel, praised WRAPA for bringing the awareness closer to local communities.

She said many residents were unaware that support offices existed around Karu and other nearby communities.

Daniel urged the government to continue supporting civil society groups and expand justice services to the grassroots through more offices and partnerships.