By Muhammad Sani Mu’azu
In an effort to strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration in the fight against gender Based Violence (GBV), a one day engagement/capacity building has been organised for gender Based Violence service providers and relevant stakeholders in Bauchi state.
The Workshop which is aimed at educating the participants across sectors on how to respond effectively to gender Based Violence in a survivor centered and approach.
Organized by the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscape (ACReSAL), the training brought together participants from sectors such as health, law enforcement, legal aid, social support services in the implementing local government areas among other stakeholders.
Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscape (ACReSAL), a world bank funded project implemented in nineteen northern states and the Federal Capital Territory, targets to restore at least one million hectares of landscape with a budget of seven hundred million dollars.
The Bauchi state co’ordinator of ACReSAL Dr. Ibrahim Kabir said the project is categorised among the high risk projects under the World bank, as most of the sensitive issues that has to do with social life, religion, culture among others are captured under the project.
He said to achieve the said objectives, there is need for all the service providers to be on watch dog and make them understand their roles in the implementation of the project.
Dr. Ibrahim Kabir called on the participants to avail themselves whenever their services are needed and to also share their experiences so as to capture the peculiarities of Bauchi state, for easier modelling the ways to handle sexual and gender Based Violence in the state.
On his part, the safety and security specialist for Center for non violence on gender advocacy in Nigeria, which is the consulting firm that has been contracted to to carryout the training said the exercise is aimed at mapping service providers for gender Based Violence victims, to ensure that the problem did not bring any hitch to the successful implementation of the project.
Some of the participants interviewed by Albarka Radio, Jinjiri Garba of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center and Munira Dalha Umar for Savannah Institute For Sustainable Development commended the organisation and promised to put into use what they have learned in the workshop.