By Austin Angwe, Makurdi
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund,UNICEF, has promised to support any initiative that seeks to strengthen government policy on child protection and all forms of abuses such as gender based violence and sexual exploitation particularly in IDPs camp in Benue State.
Making the commitment, Friday, in Makurdi, during a stakeholders meeting, UNICEF organized in collaboration with JASPI Health and Gender Development Initiative on how to plan and agree on Sexual and Gender Based Violence, SGBV and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, PSRA, Implementation Priorities in Benue State, which brought together stakeholders from government’s departments, agencies and Child Protection Specialist UNICEF Enugu Field Officer, Victor Atuchukwu, lamented that such cases are most rampant in the IDPs camp.
He described the topic as apt, affirming that cases of sexual exploitation and abuse are more topical in the IDPs camp where highest rates of cases of exploitation are witnessed sometimes between service providers and the vulnerable population hence the choice of Benue where herdsmen attack has ravaged communities and people mostly living in IDPs camp.
The UNICEF Child Protection Specialist Enugu Officer, further explained that focusing discussions on IDP camps was because of the vulnerability of inmates, stressing that gender based violence and sexual exploitation are equally found in offices between persons with influential powers trying to take undue advantage over the other, adding that UNICEF with one of the strongest sexual and exploitation prevention policies have decided to partner the Benue State government to see how it could adopt its policy and even improve upon.
In an opening remark Commissioner, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare in Benue State, Mrs Theresa Ikwue, represented by Mrs, Magdalene Andoor, the Director women, expressed appreciation to the organizers for putting together the stakeholders meeting, describing the initiative as timely, especially that the capacity building was coming at a time cases of gender based violence are rampant in the state
Mrs Patricia Suswan, the Executive Director of JAPSI Foundation said the partnership with UNICEF was to make sure that cases of SGBV and exploitation especially in IDP camps are prevented.
She said to ensure that such cases are not just brought to a halt, but perpetrators also punished, JASPI in collaboration with UNICEF brought together stakeholders to see how resolutions at the meeting would be implemented, expressing excitement with the turnout which she described as impressive.
