Bauchi State Commissioner of Education, Dr Jamila Mohammed Dahiru has stressed that the education sector is so critical in the understanding and implementation of psychosocial support in fighting sexual and gender based violence.
The Commissioner was speaking on Tuesday at the opening of a two-day workshop on Strengthening the Frontline, equipping Counselors to support sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) survivors towards healing organized by the Bauchi State Ministry of Justice in collaboration with CARE FRONTING held in Bauchi.
Jamila Dahiru said that psychological support deals with a large percentage of young girls, particularly those who are in Schools and vulnerable.
She underscored the inclusion of Ministry in the workshop disclosing that already, it has established second chance learning centres across the state to support young girls ,while the Adolescent Girls Learning Experience (AGILE) project has created safe spaces for girls in the various communities.
According to her, “You know, for every 100 survivors of SGBV, 30 of them are young girls of school age which is why our officers are here to learn how to provide support to these survivors”.
Also speaking, a Legal Practitioner, one time Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice in Bauchi State, Barrister Ibrahim Yakubu Umar noted that psychosocial support is a huge issue in the Criminal Justice System.
He lamented that it is an issue because the victim is always considered last in the adjudication stressing that government needs to create a legal and institutional framework that will address issues about psychosocial support for survivors.
According to him, “The State has a Ministry of Social Welfare, but how social is this Ministry that lacks presence at the Local Government level, we must be deliberate in taking steps to address these issues “.
In her contribution, UNFPA Gender and Reproductive Health Analyst and State Program Officer, Deborah Tabara said that the organization is working to ensure zero tolerance for SGBV, zero unmet need for family and zero maternal deaths.
The organizer of the workshop, Chief State Counsel, Ministry of Justice, Barrister Saratu Andrew Haruna said that the training is to equip Counsellors to be able to counsel survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in order to provide support for their re-integration into the society.
According to her, “I am involved in this as part of my studies and also a personal experience I witnessed some years ago of the rape of a 4 year old girl by a 50 year old man, it is an experience i will not forget”.
She therefore urged the participating to make the 2 days interactive so that they will be well equipped on how to handle such cases whenever they come across one stressing that the aim is reintegration of SGBV victims back to the society.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of Kairos Initiative, Dr. Moji Iheme commended Saratu Haruna for coming up with the training pledging her organization’s support.
She stressed that the workshop came at the right time considering the increase in such cases in the state.
A representative of the Bauchi State office of Sustainable Development Goals, Bashir Ahmed said that the workshop was addressing goal 16 which deals with peace, justice and strong institutions.
The participants were drawn from relevant line MDAs, CSOs, individuals and Media.