Sokoto govt. develops action plan to tackle GBV
Sokoto State Government has developed an Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) as a significant step toward addressing the pervasive issue of GBV in the state.
Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji the permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting on GBV prevention on Thursday in Sokoto.
Alhaji said the action plan was developed in a roundtable meeting organised with partners in June this year. He said the meeting was centered on national and international frameworks, including the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP), the National Gender Policy, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The action plan aims to provide a comprehensive and coordinated response to GBV, promote prevention strategies, and ensure access to justice and support services for survivors.
This initiative was spearheaded through a multi-sectoral and participatory process involving key stakeholders from government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), traditional and religious leaders, security agencies, and development partners.
Through a series of consultative meetings, workshops, and technical sessions, the stakeholders identified prevailing GBV trends, existing gaps, and priority areas for intervention, ” Alhaji said.
According to him, the GBV Action Plan is structured around five key pillars: prevention, protection, response, coordination, and monitoring and evaluation. The permanent secretary highlighted specific objectives and actionable strategies, including awareness creation, community engagement, legal reform and enforcement, capacity building for service providers, establishing referral systems, and survivor-centered care
A clear implementation framework has been developed, highlighting roles, timelines, and resource requirements. By adopting this action plan, Sokoto State demonstrates its commitment to eliminating gender-based violence, safeguarding the rights of vulnerable populations, and promoting a safer, more equitable society.
The plan serves as a guiding framework for action and a catalyst for sustained investment and collaboration among stakeholders to end GBV in all its forms, he added. He explained that part of the recommendations at the programme included effort for effective sensitization and stepdown of laws to surveillance team members at the ward level, while violence in any form should be preached against in all the activities of the religious leaders,
He said others were rehabilitation of perpetrators, effective collaboration between stakeholders on GBV prevention and response, and capacity building for religious and traditional leaders on the concept of gender.
