By Lizzy Carr
A legal practitioner and one time attorney general and commissioner of Justice in Bauchi State Barrister Ibrahim Yakubu Umar has noted that psychosocial support is a huge issue in the criminal justice system as a victim is always considered last.
He was speaking at a two day workshop on Strengthening the Frontline, equipping counselors to support sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) survivors towards healing organized by the Bauchi State ministry of Justice in collaboration with CARE FRONTING held in Bauchi.
Barrister Ibrahim Yakubu said government needs to create a legal and institutional framework that will address issues about psychosocial support for survivors.
“The State has a ministry of Social welfare, but how social is this ministry that lacks presence at the local government level, we must be deliberate in taking steps to address these issues “.
The organizer of the workshop, Chief State Counsel ministry of Justice Barrister Saratu Andrew Haruna said the training is to equip counselors to be able to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence inorder to provide support for their re integration into the society.
“I am involved in this as part of my studies and also a personal experience I witnessed some years ago of the rape of a 4 years old girl by a 50 year old man, it is an experience i will not forget”.
State Commissioner of Education Dr Jamila Mohammed Mohammed said the education sector is critical is the understanding and implementation of psychosocial support as it deals with a large percentage of young girls.
The ministry is added has established second chance learning centres to support young girls ,while the AGILE project has created safe space for girls in communities.
“You know for every 100 survivors of SGBV, 30 of them are young girls of school age which is why our officers are here to learn how to provide support to these survivors”.
UNFPA Gender and Reproductive Health Analyst and State Program officer , Deborah Tabara said the organization works to ensure zero tolerance for SGBV, zero unmet need for family and zero maternal deaths.
Also speaking the Executive Director of Kairos Initiative Moji Iheme commended Saratu for coming up with the training pledging her organization’s support.
A representative of the Bauchi State office of Sustainable Development Goals, Bashir Ahmed said the workshop is addressing goal 16 which deals with peace, justice and strong institutions.
[…] Psychosocial support tops discussion on SGBV survivors […]