By Justina Auta
The Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has urged development partners and stakeholders in the fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) to go beyond advocacies to empowerment of survivors.
She made the call in a statement signed by Mrs Grace Njoku, the ministry’s Head of Press and Public Relations, after a National Strategic Knowledge Management Coordination Committee meeting on GBV in Abuja on Thursday.
The meeting was organised in partnership with Fred Foundation for Resilient Empowerment and Development, with a view to making GBV survivors self-reliant and entrepreneurial.
Njoku stated that the minister, represented by Adaji Usman, the Special Assistant on Private Sector and Political Matters, stressed the need to identify the level of empowerment so far given to survivors of GBV to ascertain the level of success recorded.
She added that “this administration focuses on finding solutions to social vices such as GBV with the aim of tackling it headlong.
“We are willing to partner relevant agencies to ensure the empowerment of women, children as well as the vulnerable, in line with the mandate of the ministry.”
While commending development partners for efforts made so far in creating awareness and education on GBV, she reiterated the ministry’s commitment toward ensuring gender agenda to promote growth and development.
Kennedy-Ohanenye, therefore, urged stakeholders and development partners to continue to support government efforts toward the realisation of policy objectives.
Also, Mr Francis Olabisi, the Director Overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary, said the meeting was to identify and integrate new members for enhanced information and intelligence sharing.
Olabisi said this would increase accountability across the various sectors for more effective response to GBV cases.
“The ministry will continue to create an enabling environment for the development and empowerment of women, children and the vulnerable to reduce cases of unemployment, poverty and GBV in the country,” he said.
Participants at the meeting were drawn from ministries of justice, health, labour and productivity, humanitarian and poverty alleviation, National Orientation Agency (NOA), as well as development partners, among others.
