FCT gets referral centre to tackle domestic, sexual violence
NAN-H-109
Violence
By Kabir Muhammad
Abuja, March 1, 2017 (NAN) The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, has called on the FCT Social Development Secretariat to give special attention to the issue of violence against women and children in the territory.
Bello gave the charge while inaugurating the FCT Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, and the Gender Based Violence Referral Centre in the FCT on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to him, FCT ranks high among areas with prevalent cases of domestic and gender-based violence.
“With the right political will and cooperation among all stakeholders, a lot could be achieved to contain the scourge,’’ he said.
He expressed gratitude to the office of the Vice President for initiating a national discourse on domestic and sexual violence, which culminated in the initiative being embarked upon by the FCT Administration.
“What we really need to do is to make sure that we all work together; and I can assure you that with the right political will which is already on at the federal and FCT levels, if we get the right commitment from all offices, I think in a very short time, we will be able to achieve a lot.
“As difficult as this activity may appear, as long as you have pockets of success and it is well documented and publicised, that opens up a lot of confidence in what can be done.
“More importantly, it gives hope that whatever happens to a person, you always have a place where you will receive a listening ear, guidance and counseling, and above all, resolution of problems,” he added.
The minister also called for the right attitude and efforts from other stakeholders to make the Referral Centre a success.
“The capacity is there, the knowledge is there, the institutional support is there. If we really create time and look at this, I assure you we are going to achieve a lot of successes,” he said.
Speaking earlier, the Acting Secretary, Social Development Secretariat, Mrs Elegbede Adebola said the Referral Centre enjoyed the support of the Presidency, Agencies, Departments and NGOs, among others, as anchoring partners.
Adebola said domestic and sexual violence often occurred among the low and high, the educated and uneducated in the society, and called for concerted efforts to tackle the menace.
“In FCT, in the course of our service delivery in the Social Development Secretariat, we are confronted almost on daily basis with myriads of gender-based violence within and among families, siblings and within neighbourhoods,” she stated.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Director-General of Legal Aid Council, Mrs Joy Bob-Manuel, commended the political will the FCT minister had given to the fight.
Bob-Manuel promised that the organisation would complement the efforts of the FCT Administration in this direction. (NAN)
KM/DOR/MST
Edited by Nyisom Dore/Muhammad Suleiman Tola