Development expert harps on data capturing of SGBV victims
By SAKA Laaro, Ilorin
Mr Umar Bolaji, a health data and development expert has said that data capturing of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) survivors will reduce the health and socioeconomic impact on such persons.
According to Bolaji who doubles as the Monitoring and Evaluation Manager for Olive Community Development Initiative (OCDI), a non-governmental organization, data capture will help to show decision makers the prevalence of violence in communities and spur them to action.
He was speaking at data coordination meeting of stakeholders on SGBV funded by ActionAid Nigeria through OCDI in collaboration with the Kwara Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in Ilorin on Saturday.
He said it would help more women who are suffering in silence to find their voice and speak out in order to reduce the health and socioeconomic impact of SGBV on survivors through government response.
“The data will be used to capture information on SGBV and data of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in the state.
“It is crucial for the state’s decision making process especially as regards women and children who are to a very large extent on the receiving end,” he said.
The data and development expert said that capacity gap had been identified as a major factor responsible for poor implementation of government policies, programs and many laudable initiatives adding that it led to huge financial and developmental losses for the country.
“Kwara has particularly recorded more than a decade of training deficit affecting a large proportion of its public personnel.
“The state is now faced with a human resource that is being left behind by non-governmental counterparts, especially in areas requiring high level of expertise to achieve set developmental targets.
“This has led to the need to augment support for the state in its fight against SGBV,” Bolaji said.
The Kwara Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Abosede Aremu who was represented by the Director of Women, Alhaja Nike Medina, appreciated the support from OCDI and the technical experts who developed a data collection tool for the Ministry.
Aremu said it was very timely for the ministry particularly at a period when government funding were highly competitive and required objective justification to access.
Miss Toni Adeleke, the Executive Director of OCDI who represented ActionAid Nigeria at the event, reiterated the group’s commitment toward seeing that women enjoyed basic human rights as their male counterparts.
Adeleke said that the dignity and rights of women will be upheld in the state adding that sexual and gender based violence will be eliminated in the state and Nigeria.
Our correspondent reports that the stakeholders meeting was aimed at collation of data from January to June 2021 and also to help the ministry adopt standardized indicators for OVC programming in the state.
Present at the event were representatives from Women wing of Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN), Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN) amongst others.
