BY NONYE EKWENUGO
Kaduna
International Alert (IA) has trained 40 Kaduna community first responders of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) on psychological first aid.
The Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Officer, International Alert, Fatima Inusa, during the 2-day training yesterday in Kaduna explained that the training was aimed at equipping first responders of SGBV at community level with skills on how to administer psychosocial support to victims of SGBV.
“We are training them on how to handle the victims of SGBV. We observed that in some cases, when victims visit security personnel, doctors, nurses and other responders of SGBV, they don’t get the required information or support they needed, that was why we are training the responders to be more equipped and professional”.
According to her, they are trying to break the culture of silent and to also reduce SGBV in Kaduna to the barest minimum.
Inusa said “due to improper documentation and lack of respect for data protection protocols which entails not sharing of survivors information without their consent, the training of the first responders became critical so that the responders will know their duty when the need arises”.
The Center Manager for Salama Sexual Assault Referral Center, Kakuri, Kaduna, Nankat Ndam, said that they get reports of cases of SGBV regularly across their four centers in Kaduna State.
According to her, the victims and survivors of SGBV are mostly women and underage girls.
“Several people keep quiet because there is a lot of stigma around SGBV. There is need to support survivors so they can come out to break the culture of silence in order for them to bring perpetrators to book and get justice for victims”.
She also disclosed that the four sexual referral centres in Kaduna record cases between 20 to 30 every month, she said.
“Priority is always given to the survivors, we practice survivor centered approach which means that our concern is more on survivors’ wellbeing and also the support they get from the moment they are abused”.
She therefore urged Nigerians to join in the elimination of SGBV in Kaduna and Nigeria at large.
ENDS
