Amnesty International Advocates Survivors Centred Practice For Gender Based Violence Cases In Imo State

Amnesty international has advocated survivors Centred approach for handling Gender Based violence Cases GBV in Nigeria.

The campaign was held in Owerri IMO State with the theme “strengthening Legal Response to gender based violence and survivors Centred practice.

The event brought together Women Lawyers and civil organisations representatives to sharpen their skills towards effective service delivery.

Speaking during the programme, the Amnesty Education officer, Helen Adah noted that the campaign was aimed at enhancing the capacity of female lawyers in handling Gender Based violence Cases from survivors perspective rather than just focusing on the case alone.

She stressed that Amnesty international strategically organized the event in IMO STATE as parts of it’s efforts to combat increasing incidence of gender based violence been witnessed in the state.

According to her, the training was intended to get the GBV context in IMO State and provide direct interaction with the field lawyers who would share their experiences, challenges and a call to action in partnership with other related agencies to curb the menace.

Also speaking the IMO State Chairman of the international federation of women lawyers FIDA Barrister Phil -O Amaefule reiterated the organizations resolve in the fight against GBV, assault and other human rights violations, stressing that FIDA partners with ministry of justice , legal aids,NBA,security agencies and civil organizations in the fight.

Mrs Amaefule regretted the rising cases of both physical, emotional etc in the state, while some of the survivors continue to suffer negligence, delayed justice, stigmatization amongst others.

She also noted that FIDA is making some progress though slow having won some of their GBV cases by ensuring that the perpetrators were arraigned and imprisoned if found guilty despite some of the challenges being faced by front liners such as lack of funding,loss of critical evidence, survivors abandoning case etc.

Delivering a lecture, a legal practitioner Ndidi Anike Val- Ukoma acknowledged that the training gave a lot of clarity on the system, the laws and existing legal and Policy frame works on how to better deal with GBV cases, which the lawyers will in turn sensitise the people on GBV cases and their various referral path ways to ensure that there is no secondary victimization.

She emphasized that VAP law in IMO State required establishment of an agency and that according to her would address the problems of lack of access to justice, slow and long litigation process which had remained bane to success of GBV cases.

The practitioner Mrs Ndidi appealed to IMO State government to establish VAP agency where survivors will get straight referral path way for quick response hence the need for more sensitiation of the people on GBV cases and their rights.

In her reaction the Chief State council from the Ministry of Justice IMO State Mrs chinaka -Sunday Ihero expressed the ministry readiness as prosecutor agency to go extral miles in ensuring justice for the survivors provided that the victims and family collaborates with the ministry.