In a bid to provide survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) with timely, effective, and supportive services, the Ogun State Government in collaboration with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has charted a GBV referral pathway aimed to promote the overall well-being of the people and maintain gender equality.
Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Adijat Adeleye stated this at the dissemination of Ogun State Referral Pathway held at the Ministry ‘s Conference room, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
The referral pathway was part of the State ‘s efforts to address GBV, which included a structured reporting, prosecution, and enforcement system. This system operates through four main pathways: Sexual Assault Referral Centers (SARCs), law enforcement agencies, health facilities, and GBV service providers (NGOs registered in the State).
Adeleye noted that the pathway was significantly designed to provide a comprehensive and coordinated response to GBV ensuring survivors, community or complaints have access to services that were convenient, accessible and tailored to individual needs, urging all stakeholders to work together to ensure effective implementation of the referral pathway.
She further emphasised that irrespective of the gender or status of survivors of GBV, there were clear steps for reporting incidents, accessing medical care, giving legal assistance and psychological support, saying that the goal was to empower them and build a responsive system that recognises their rights and dignity.
In her welcome address, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Adejumoke Adewole, said the GBV referral pathway provided a comprehensive and workable document to guide stakeholders on what to know about GBV, what to do and how to go about helping survivors, ensuring that the menace of GBV was combated in the State.
In his presentation on what to expect in the Referral Pathway, Dr. Opeyemi Ogundimu described the pathway as a flexible mechanism that safely links survivors to supportive and competent services which would include health, psychological, security and protection, legal and Justice, as well as economic or reintegration support, with assurance that service providers know the proper procedures to follow when a case of GBV was reported and improve the coordination and efficiency of all responses to GBV cases.
While commending the State Government for coming up with initiatives to support survivors of GBV and making efforts to ensure the reduction of the menace in the State, representative of an NGO, Women for Peace and Gender Equality Initiative, Dr. Mojisola Akinsanya, pledged to intensify efforts on the pathway awareness to people at the grassroots
