This was revealed during a 2-day Legacy building workshop to develop a training and advocacy manual for preventing and responding to GBV.
By Alisa Johnson
The intervention and sensitisation against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) have gained a major boost in Cross River State as the Coalition for the Promotion of Gender Justice is set to develop a legacy intervention manual for GBV prevention and response.
This was revealed during a 2-day Legacy building workshop to develop a training and advocacy manual for preventing and responding to GBV. It was held at the conference hall, Ministry of Social Welfare Calabar, on Thursday, 5 and Friday, 6 September 2024.
Speaking to newsmen, Doctor Nfreke Asibe, the project officer, explained that the engagement with critical stakeholders became necessary to get their collective knowledge in the formation of the standardized manual and as well as know their experiences in the response and prevention of GBV at the grassroots level.
“We are aiming to develop a legacy manual for gender-based violence prevention and response. We’ve been on a project known as community mobilization and advocacy for prevention and responding to GBV in Cross River State. We are currently in the final stage of the project implementation and planning on sustaining the project beyond the project lifespan and funding; we are looking at developing this legacy manual to share amongst critical stakeholders during our close-out to help prevent and respond to GBV,” Ndifreke said.
She added that the meeting was essential following an attempt and pressure to repeal that VAPP law.
Also speaking, Mr Williams Arikpo, the project coordinator, lamented that the misconceptions about GBV make the issues continue, hence the need to educate the masses on the importance of responding to the cases of GBV.
He said “We hope to achieve a legacy training manual or tool that is simplified and can be used to teach people at all levels the basis of GBV. We are even looking at schools in the future, hoping that they can form part of the curriculum. We need to demystify, highlight the consequences of GBV, the benefit of preventing GBV, and the importance of responding to the cases of GBV in our community.”
Speaking with some participants, Mrs Okwalice Idem Ita, a representative of Charis Vision and Health Mission, thanked the organizers for coming up with such an idea considering the current attempt to repeal the VAPP law, this is even as she expressed displeasure on the development considering the efforts by NGOs and actors to put up the law.
On her part, Iquo Mkpang, who represented the Advocacy of Women Living With Disability, Cross River State chapter (AWWDI CRS), welcomed the idea, saying the intervention would protect the interest of GBV victims; she also added that she had been equipped to do more at the grassroots level.
During the workshop, the participants, who were from NGOs, faith-based organizations, community groups, political groups, and sociopolitical groups, were divided into groups and tasked with the responsibility of suggesting innovative ideas that would be helpful in the formation of the manual.