NSCDC BOSS: WE MUST END SEXUAL AND GENDER BASED VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA
In light of the injuries and deaths of women and girls in Nigeria as a result of sexual and gender-based violence, the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ahmed Abubakar Audi, PhD, mni, has advocated for an end to violence against women, girls, and other vulnerable groups in the country.
He made the remarks during the opening ceremony of the first NSCDC Gender Summit, which was held at the National Headquarters in Abuja under the theme “Building Sustainable Peace in Africa through Gender Mainstreaming: Prevention and Response to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).”
The DCC Olusola Odumosu, the Director Public Relations, NSCDC, Nhq, issued a press release to journalists.
“The NSCDC boss lamented that the groups that suffer during crises or conflicts are mostly women and children, as research has shown that over 35 percent of women and girls experience physical and sexual violence globally, which turns out to be the most common abuses of human rights in their lifetime.”
He called for new approaches to combat Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) across the country, emphasising that “it is within our scope to ensure that women, children, and vulnerable people are safe in conflict situations, and society must ensure they no longer live in perpetual fear, but to encourage them to strive and live freely like their male counterparts.”
Dr. Audi maintained that gender-based violence had spread like wildfire across the country due to the patriarchal nature of our cultural norms and values, leaving women and girls on the receiving end, necessitating more concerted efforts to change the narratives.
Speaking at the event, the Corps’ Head of Gender Unit, Chief Superintendent of Corps (CSC) Alao Ajet Kemi, explained that the summit aimed to assess the government’s policy direction on gender issues and to open a sustainable dialogue between the Corps and other gender-based organisations.
She stated that violence includes, among other things, rape, forced marriages, forced abortions, sexual harassment, intimidation in and out of the workplace, child pornography, and human trafficking, and that a growing number of countries, including Nigeria, have instituted a National Action Plan on women and girls violence.
In the same vein, Prof. Tyoor Terhemba, President of the International Academy for Gender and Peace, expressed satisfaction with the partnership with NSCDC in developing the skills and capacities of gender-based officers across security formations in order to improve the country’s gender mainstreaming and equality.
He reiterated that the country must embrace peace in order to grow, develop, and live harmoniously as a people by closing gender gaps and disparities and educating people about the importance of peacekeeping and bridging gaps for regional, national, and international cooperation.
