Benue Launches SGBV Response Team to Combat Gender Based Violence.

The Benue State Government has inaugurated a Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Response Team to strengthen institutional coordination and improve support services for survivors of gender based violence, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The response team was inaugurated on Wednesday in Makurdi by the Benue State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare in collaboration with the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), with support from the European Union.

Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs Theresa Ikwue, described the initiative as a significant step in the state’s efforts to eliminate sexual and gender based violence.

She said the response team would enhance collaboration among key stakeholders, strengthen referral mechanisms and ensure that survivors have access to justice, protection and psychosocial support.

Ikwue commended the development partners for supporting the initiative, stressing that addressing sexual and gender based violence requires coordinated action by government institutions and relevant stakeholders.

“No single institution can address this challenge alone. Effective prevention and response require collaboration, coordinated planning, information sharing and commitment from all stakeholders,” she said.

The commissioner urged members of the response team to develop practical and sustainable strategies that would strengthen protection for women, children and other vulnerable groups.

Also speaking, the Director General of the Benue State Bureau for International Cooperation and Development, Dr Aondoaseer Viashima, emphasised the need to strengthen government institutions to sustain development interventions beyond donor funded projects.

He called on development partners to align their programmes with the state’s coordinated response framework to ensure long term impact.

Representing the Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Creativity, Mr Terkimbi Ikyange described sexual and gender based violence as a major public health, development and human rights concern.

Citing World Health Organisation statistics, he said one in three women globally has experienced physical or sexual violence, adding that many cases remain unreported because of stigma, fear and limited access to justice.

He noted that conflict induced displacement has increased the vulnerability of women and girls in Benue State and called for greater investment in youth advocacy, gender equality and positive masculinity to prevent violence.

Also, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Timothy Ornguga, represented by legal practitioner and child rights advocate, Mrs Deborah Ikape, reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to strengthening legal and policy frameworks to tackle gender based violence.

He said the Ministry of Justice would continue to collaborate with stakeholders to review existing laws, support institutional reforms and improve access to justice for survivors.

According to NAN, the meeting featured technical presentations by officials of International IDEA on the state of sexual and gender based violence in Nigeria and concluded with the review and adoption of the response team’s Terms of Reference to strengthen coordinated action across relevant institutions.