Bridge Connect Africa Initiatives, a non-governmental organisation in Kano State has trained 50 Gender-Based Violence (GBV) survivors and those at risk with a view to empowering them economically and taking action against gender based violence in the state.
Speaking during a 3- day training program in Kano, BCAI’s Communication officer, Juliet Nwobodo, said the Canadian funded project – Women Against Violence Empowerment through Sustainability (WAVES) aims to empower and train beneficiaries on GBV for over a period of five months.
She said the project intends to establish relationships with the women and link them up with facilities working on GBV such as the police, lawyers offering pro bono services, facilities providing counseling and support services, hinting that many women are unaware of the laws and processes available to support survivors.
Nwobodo explained that the training brought experts from the police, public health specialists, and lawyers amongs others, to train the survivors on how to go about the processes.
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The Administration Manager Kano State WARAKA Sexual Assualt and Referral Centre, Abba Ahmed, described the rate of GBV in the state as alarming, despite efforts to address the issue; noting that the state has an average record of 30-38 cases per month of sexual assaults mostly among young children.
He however, stressed the need for the state to provide support to vulnerable groups, pointing out that they are citizens of the state who deserve attention to their social and general well-being.
While lamenting on the low technical support for capacity building, facility tools, and support for survivors to recover and reintegrate into the society, he said the center primarily handles cases of sexual violence, including sexual assault, rape and make referrals on other types of GBV to other agencies.
