The leadership of Sokoto GBV Response Team during courtesy visit to the Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry on Tuesday
BY ANKELI EMMANUEL, Sokoto –
The Sokoto State Government has declared its commitment towards protecting the rights of women and children in the state.
Sokoto State Commissioner of Women and Children Affairs, Hadiza Shagari, stated this on Tuesday, when the state’s Gender Based Violence Response Team (SGBV-RT) officials paid her a courtesy visit at the Giginya Secretariat.
Mrs. Shagari emphasized that all forms of violence against human beings must be discouraged.
The commissioner, who commended the GBV -Response Team for their continued dedication to the cause of humanity, added that, “the ministry is ever ready to collaborate and work with the team towards ensuring an end to all forms of GBV in the state””.
Supporting the position of the commissioner, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Alhaji Hayatu Alhaji, affirmed that he has heard many testimonies of the good work the GBV Response Team has been doing in the state.
While noting that he is personally impressed with the activities of the GBV Response Team in Sokoto, Alhaji Hayatu, thanked all development partners working in the state for their continued support.
Speaking earlier, Sokoto State Chairman of GBV-Response Team, Malam Rabiu Gandi hinted that, they have come to congratulate the new commissioner and the permanent secretary and advocate to them on the need to buy into their activities of the Response Team.
Giving insight into what the Response Team does, Rabiu Gandi said it was an initiative of the Spotlight Initiative geared towards ending all forms of Gender Based Violence, (GBV), Violence Against Women and Girls, (VAWG), Harmful Practices (HP) and encouraging human dignity.
Rabiu further noted that, the Response Team also have survailance team across some local government areas of the state that also report all forms of GBV for appropriate response.
“The Response Team, provide services in a referral form. This is so because, the Team comprises of organizations with diverse professionals.
“There is the health services, legal services, post trauma counseling, second chance education, skills acquisition for self reliance amongst numerous other services provided to survivors of GBV by the Response Team”. Rabiu hinted.
Lending her voice to the courtesy visit, the co-chairman of the Response Team, Barrister Rashidat Mohammed, said the team is a platform that intensify efforts towards prevention of all forms of Gender Based Violence.
Also speaking, the Deputy Chairman of Sokoto GBV-Resonse Team, Mr Joseph Julius, hinted that the team equally has both religious and traditional leaders, media executives as well as professionals from other walks of life as members, who are working for the sake of humanity.
