Musa Umar, the Executive Director of Voluntary Initiative, a local implementing partner for an NGO, International Alert, in Zamfara, has called on the state government to create a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Support Trust Fund.
Umar said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), at the sideline of a conflict, justice and stability planning workshop organised by International Alert, with support from UK International Development, on Monday in Kaduna.
NAN reports that the workshop, which was attended by top government officials from Zamfara and Kaduna State among other stakeholders, was aimed at discussing community-level conflict, justice and stability priorities.
ALSO READ: 2024 UTME: NSCDC boss lauds conduct of examination in Kaduna
It was also aimed at identifying where the community-level priorities align government policies at the local and state levels as well as the institutions to address them.
NAN also reports that it was to build relationship between community leaders, local government and state-level institutions.
Umar lamented that SGBV had a lot of survivors living without support.
He explained that the trust fund, if created, would enable survivors of SGBV to access services that would bring succor to their pains and ensure continued living without trauma.
Umar equally lamented the delay in the justice system, among other bottlenecks, while advocating the local justice system in promoting stability, peace and peaceful coexistence.
“When someone offends you and you decide to report to security agencies or take action in the legal way, there will be enmity.
“If we can adopt the local justice system where parties are called upon to talk and dialogue to embrace peace, it will go along way,”he said.
Earlier, the Country Director of International Alert, Nigeria, Dr Paul Nyulaku-Bemshima, said the workshop was of multi-stakeholder efforts focused on planning priority around conflict, access to justice , GBV and Accountability.
He added that the NGO has been operating in Chikun and Jema’a LGA sof Kaduna State as well as in Tsafe and Birnin Magaji LGAs of Zamfara for the past one year.
Nyulaku-Bemshima also said they have established community dialogue platforms in order to deal with the drivers of conflict and instability in all the locations.
He explained that the workshop was to have an alignment with the priorities at the community level, local government and state level.
“This is important because an uptake of these issues that were found out at the community level haven’t worked there in the past one year is very important,”he said.
According to the country director, the choice of Kaduna and Zamfara for the project was because they were most affected by conflicts in the North-West.
He said that the two states have been making a lot of efforts in terms of dealing with the drivers of conflict.
“Kaduna has a Peace Commission, Zamfara has also been doing quite a lot in addressing issues of banditry,” Nyulaku-Bemshima added.
He called for the prioritisation of the role of women in addressing some of the drivers of conflict and other stakeholders in achieving peace and stability in the country.
Also, the Executive Director of Global Peace Development, an implementing partner with International Alert, Mr Esike Ebruke, said the workshop was part of the planning and structure design to ensure the project;s inclusivity in Kaduna State.
He stressed that the overall objective was to ensure stability, safety and security for every person irrespective of where he or she comes from.
The executive director stated, ”When the justice system, the people and traditional system work, the society will be more stable.”
