By Prosper Okoye

Stakeholders in the battle against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) have unveiled a social accountability (SAC) toolkit and mentoring manual to facilitate a structural approach to SGBV interventions in Nigeria.

During the launch on Monday, Yemisi Nathaniel, Senior Executive Programs Coordinator at Women’s Right Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), informed journalists that grassroots organizations from FCT, Adamawa, and Sokoto states, gathered through the Spotlight Initiative pillar partnership, would utilize the toolkit as a guide for advocacy and accountability mechanisms in their respective communities.

Angela Muruli, the Technical Coherence Officer of United Nations Women, shared a goodwill message expressing her joy and pride.

“UN Women, through their EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, is delighted to have partnered with WRAPA for the past four years on this flagship program. In 2017, the EU recognized that ending violence against women and girls is crucial for sustainable development. Consequently, they launched an ambitious grant of nearly 500 million Euros, the largest funding ever provided by a global entity to address violence against women and girls. UN Women and the UN country teams were entrusted with rolling out the EU Spotlight Initiative project.

“Thus, we embarked on the Spotlight Initiative with six main outcome areas, which many of you are familiar with. These areas include legislation, strengthening institutions, prevention services, data, and, of course, the women’s movement, which WRAPA has championed beautifully.

“The Spotlight Initiative has achieved significant milestones, such as the passage of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAAP) Act in over 90 percent of the states in Nigeria. More recently, we successfully advocated for the passage of the sexual harassment bill, and I want to applaud WRAPA for this achievement. We have also championed the establishment of one-stop centers and galvanized a strong women’s movement, instrumental in driving the passage of gender bills, as witnessed in March last year in the National Assembly.

“I have had the privilege of getting a sneak peek into the toolkit. For those who haven’t seen it yet, let me assure you it is impressive. It is rich with experiences and serves as a practical tool to empower all of us in this room to champion the cause established by your esteemed organization…” Angela, who represented Ms. Beatrice Eyong, UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, conveyed to the audience.

Furthermore, stakeholders, while sharing their success stories on the project, expressed frustrations encountered during the interventions. One of their primary complaints was the attitude of the Nigerian Police Force when a case is reported to them.

“Whenever you report a case, they expect you to pay for a pen, files, transportation for the victim, the accused, and even for the police officer handling the case. You have to foot practically every expense, and this discourages us and most of the victims from pursuing justice,” lamented Farah James of ASWHAM, Adamawa State.

Afam Kasim of TAF Africa, representing the organization’s Director, Jake Epelle, advised that increased advocacy could help address most of the challenges.

“Identifying the individuals who can bring about change in the areas you are working in can be helpful. I remember around 2015 or thereabouts, individuals with Albinism were dying in the national hospital due to skin cancer, and we were seeking funding. We identified that there was something known as a service-wide vote, so we approached Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as an organization. These are Nigerians; they did not develop skin cancer by choice but rather due to the unique nature of their skin. When we presented our case to her, she had no reason but to release 17 million Naira to the National Hospital, all because we knew whom to approach,” he said.

However, Daniel Johnson of the African Youth Union Commission raised concerns about the significant reduction in recent budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Women Affairs, an agency of the government tasked with intervening in cases of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) affecting women and girls.

“Our organization conducted a fact-finding mission at the National Assembly to assess the readiness of the budget, particularly the gender-responsive bill and other issues concerning women and girls. To our shock, the 2022 budget for the Ministry of Women Affairs was approximately 35 billion Naira. However, in 2023, it was reduced to 17.1 billion Naira, representing a reduction of about 54 percent. We have been urging them to explain the reason for this cut. Does it imply that women do not face any problems? Moreover, this has also impacted the allocation for SGBV interventions,” he stated.

Kaneng Rwang-Pam, SAC Toolkit Design Consultant, emphasized the comprehensiveness of the kit in addressing practical issues that may arise in the field. She encouraged participants to have an open mind and adapt the solutions provided in the book to overcome their specific challenges.

“The Social Accountability Toolkit is dedicated to achieving tangible results. It involves engaging critical stakeholders who make decisions that propel our communities forward. The toolkit comprises mechanisms and strategies for gathering information and involving stakeholders to advance gender equality, eliminate discrimination against women and girls, and end violence in all its forms.

“Furthermore, the toolkit is versatile and can be applied in various contexts. In this particular instance, it supports efforts to end violence against women and girls, which aligns with SDG 5 as the primary target.

“In essence, it strives to achieve equity in our homes, communities, states, and nation at all levels, encompassing the fair distribution of state resources. This impacts sectors such as health, education, agriculture, and every aspect of the daily lives of women and girls in Nigeria.

“The toolkit includes a case study that highlights the negative impact on women’s lives in a specific community where a lack of accessible healthcare centers forces them to travel long distances. Pregnant women, for example, face complications and higher mortality rates. Advocacy efforts were undertaken to address this issue and find a solution.

“In another case, a particular local government failed to allocate sufficient resources, unaware of the need for increased funding for a primary health center to ensure community members, especially women, can access quality healthcare. The toolkit provides practical methods to facilitate such changes and more,” she explained in an interview with DAILY ASSET.

Additionally, Precious Anslem, FCT WRAPA Spotlight Initiative Project Officer, encouraged participants to assess their progress through regression analysis and realize the significant achievements made. Therefore, he urged them not to lose faith in their cause due to challenges.

“While you may have set out to achieve five things, even accomplishing one is progress,” he said.

Chief Dauda Dogo of Karomajigi community in Abuja, the Chief Launcher of the toolkit, issued a resounding call for increased collaboration in the fight against sexual and gender-based violence targeting women and girls. He passionately urges both the government and society to actively promote and utilize the tool.