By Ezekiel Dontinna
The Royal Health Heritage Foundation (RHHF), has, in collaboration with the Plateau State Government and support by United Nations Population Funds, acquired structure to build a Safe Space for women and girls to forward their complaints when harassed.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Royal Health Heritage Foundation, Sogunio Olusoji, disclosed this recently at a 5-day training session organised by the organisation for social workers in Mangu, Bokkos and Barkin-ladi Local Government Areas at Crispian Hotel Jos.
The Chief Executive Officer said, “this training came because of what happened last year in the three local government areas recently. The United Nations Population Agency (UNPFA) now called us to come and intervene.
“So, we are training these social workers to see how they can approach the women especially ladies and young girls that are being harassed. We are also building through the support of UNPFA a women and girls Safe Space in Bokkos where they can run to incase of violence, treatment and counseling”, he explained.
Earlier, the Programme Officer of RHHF, Bisola Abolade, disclosed that the Safe Space Structure would be made up of legal and medical services as well as other services that could address issues that have to do with women and girls, hence the need for this training.
Declaring the training closed, the Plateau State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Caroline Dafur, commended RHHF and UNPFA for responding to the plight of these affected people and promised government’s readiness to continue to partner with them.
She said, “the Ministry for Women Affairs and Social Development is so serious to see that we reduce Gender Based Violence (GBV) to the nearest minimum. One of it is the capacity building carried out to our staff and local government staff.
“With this one-stop-shop in Bokkos, people caught breaking the GBV Act will face the wrath of the law because Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang is not taking the issue of GBV likely and that is why we have to build the capacity of our staff on how to treat our victims.
“We keep telling our women and girls that, they should please speak out when harassed and report anybody that is caught in this act. When they speak out, they will get help because this government is responsible government and that is why we are doing this to help them”, she enthused.
There were words of encouragement by the representatives of Plateau State Emergency Management Agency, Adah E. Gonina, who is the Senior Administrative Officer and the Program officer of UNPFA Adama, respectively.