GBV: Amnesty, human rights activist advocate for survivor-centered response system

In a bid to curb the increasing rate of gender based violence, Amnesty International has partnered female lawyers for improved prevention and response to addressing the menace.

Speaking in Owerri recently, during capacity building for female lawyers, the Human Rights Education Officer of Amnesty International, Helen Addah noted that the essence of the training was to build the skills on how to address media components, information gathering, how to protect the survivors among others.

There’s need to ensure that the policies and laws on gender based violence are put into use, especially the Sexual Assault Referral Center where survivors access all the services needed to stabilize them.

Delivering a session on Evidence Gathering and Case Management in Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Cases, a seasoned human rights gender and social Justice advocate, activist, scholar and Principal Legal Officer, National Human Rights Commission, Barr. Ihunanyachukwu Okoroji emphasized the urgent need to strengthen survivor protection mechanisms in Imo State through the establishment of a dedicated Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law Agency.

She advocated for a coordinated, survivor-centred response system and underscored the critical role of forensic science, digital evidence, and emerging technologies in enhancing investigations, preserving evidence, and improving prosecution outcomes.

Barr. Okoroji also stressed the importance of effective case management, inter-agency collaboration, and adherence to best practices to ensure survivors have meaningful access to justice while reducing procedural lapses in GBV case handling.

The two days event gathered female from NBA, FIDA, ministry of justice, media, among other stakeholders who participated to advocate for the establishment of the agency responsible for the implementation of the VAPP law in Imo State.