By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
No fewer than 50 workers in the Cross River State House of Assembly, CRHA, have completed capacity training on gender responsive budgeting, prevention and mitigation by the leadership of Center for Gender Economics in Africa, CGE Africa.
Executive Director, Center for Gender Economics in Africa, CGE Africa, Uchenna Idoko, urged participants to ensure that knowledge gained at the training workshop be put to use and ensure that gender document sent to the Assembly men is viewed from design, implementation to oversight that have gender gaps closed up.
Calling for creation of an environment where men and women can have equal opportunity to work rather than allow discriminatory policies to thrive, Idoko urged the leadership of the Cross River State House of Assembly, CRHA, to ensure that money budgeted for GBV be speedily released to the Ministry of Women Affairs for tack down issues that bothered on GBV.
She said, “There should be budgetary allocation to ensure that the centre for GBV mitigation at the Ministry of Women Affairs works effectively.”
The participants appealed to the lawmakers to ensure that money captured in the budget be properly channeled to areas in which the money is meant for so that incidents of GBV can be grossly tackled, especially in rural areas.
In a brief interview with one of the participants, Mrs. Itam Offor, who is the Information Officer, CRHA, she called for building of capacity of health personnel so that they will have the ability to handle GBV issues from rural communities.
Offor, who spoke on behalf of the participants, advocated for sensitization of survivors of GBV so that they can afford to speak out rather than be scared of stigmatization.
She said, “We are asking them to speak out when these things happen to them.
“The Assembly have made laws, like the Child’s Right Law, laws against sexual abuse and molestation.
“We are asking that these laws be implemented. Thier oversight functions on budgetary allocation concerning gender based violence should be made to Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, be spent accordingly.”
