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No fewer than 700 cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) were reported across Yobe State in the last two years.
The Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr Mohammed Gana, disclosed this on Sunday at an event to train doctors, nurses, and midwives on clinical management of rape and intimate partner in Damaturu, the state capital.
“Based on the data we have across the six Sexual Assault Referral Centres of the state, over 700 cases of GBV, primarily either rape cases or intimate partner have been reported,” said Gana who was represented at the event by Abdullahi Danchuwa, the Director of Nursing Services at the State Ministry of Health.
He commended the World Health Organisation for supporting the state government with developmental policies and programmes, provision of capacity building to health workers, as well as provision of medical consumables across the state.
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The commissioner, however, stressed the need to put in place more collaborations with the government, parents, and donor agencies, in order to end the increasing rate of gender-based violence in Yobe.
On his part, the WHO’s Emergency Manager (Health Emergencies Programme), Muhammad Shafiq, noted that the agency was putting measures in place to ensure survivors were well taken care of.
Shafiq, who was also represented by the National Consultant on GBV, Dr Inigbehe Oyinloye, explained that the training was organised to build the capacity of the healthcare providers during emergencies.
He said, “We carried out some assessments in Yobe health facilities that are providing Gender-Based Violence services and realised that among the health workers, there was poor capacity building.
“In order to close the gap and ensure the health sector is strengthened to provide these services, we are equipping them to be able to have holistic care for the survivors.”
Some of the participants at the training commended the organisers of the event, saying they now have better experience in managing GBV survivors.
They also appealed to the state government to assent to the Violence Against Persons’ Prohibition Bill that was passed into law by members of the Yobe State House of Assembly in 2020, to ensure quick dispensation of justice for the survivors.
