FG develops National Intervention Plan for insurgency survivors

ABUJA (Federal Ministry of Women Affairs Report) –  The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Zainab Maina has said that the Nigerian Government has developed a National Intervention Plan for treating and supporting the survivors of insurgency, beginning from the North-East Zone and spreading to other survivors of gender-based violence across the country, especially women and girls.
 
In a keynote address delivered at the ‘One -Day National Validation Meeting on Guidelines for Prevention, Response and Intervention on Gender-Based Violence in the North-East and Other Parts of Nigeria’ held on Thursday October 9, 2014 in Abuja, the Minister said that the  event brought to conclusion the consultative and inclusive process arranged by the Ministry in collaboration with development partners and other agencies through an Inter-Ministerial Committee.
 
Zainab Maina also noted that the project was to ensure that well-coordinated, standard guidelines built with specific indicators to track subsequent interventions in the long run are prepared and produced for all stakeholders intervening in the sector. ”The guidelines are therefore expected to include: counselling, provision of mental health services, continued schooling of affected victims of school age, provision of community-based initiatives/services and involvement of other professional agencies/personnel in relevant disciplines in the intervention,” she explained.
 
The Minister, who was represented at the occasion by the Director of Human Resources Management in the Ministry, Olabisi Bolanle Jaji further said that the Government was envisioning the institution of seasoned guidelines and strategies that will involve services aimed at complete rehabilitation of those affected. The Minister inferred that before now,  an assessment/situation analysis was carried out in collaboration with key stakeholders of the North-East, particularly those from Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States.
 
While acknowledging the fact that there could be some fundamental gaps in assessment and recommendations in the area covered in regards to women and girls which the validation meeting could help to fill up or amend, the Minister opined that the validation exercise was to critically look at the guidelines with a view to filling in the gaps from the field to ensure that inputs from stakeholders are included for ease of operation.
 
She charged participants and stakeholders to ensure that the objectives of the meeting were achieved by providing additional information to enrich the draft guidelines. Adding, they should  ensure that the Government persists in the leadership provision that would empower Nigerian women and girls and uphold their rights in all areas of national development.
 
Earlier in a welcome address, the Director of the Women and Gender Affairs Department of the Ministry, Iran Ajufo said that ending the scourge of gender-based violence is imperative for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs. She further stressed that such arrangement must be a priority for the eradication of poverty, achievement of inclusive sustainable development, human rights, health, gender equality and the empowerment of women.