The Imo State Committee to End Violence Against Women and Girls (ISCEVAWG) has expressed concern over the frequent cases of human rights violations and sexual harassment such as rape, child abuse, wife bartering and other forms of sexual violence. gender in the state.

The committee urged Governor Hope Uzodimma to intervene in what she described as “an ugly trend in the state” by urgently establishing a regulatory agency to help curb the menace.

The committee, which made the call at its one-day monitoring meeting held in Owerri on Sunday, revealed that its objectives, among others, were to strengthen existing relationships, partnerships and collaborations among key stakeholders, both state and non-state. actors, to address all forms of violence against women and girls in the state.

The committee insisted that the agency, once established, would help protect vulnerable people, including women and girls, as well as ensure justice for victims/survivors of all forms of gender-based violence (GBV) in the state.

They stated that the prevalent cases of gender-based violence in the state were mainly due to the delay in establishing the regulatory agency, adding that the agency would also help in the enforcement and implementation of the Prohibition of Violence Against Persons Act ( VAPP).

Speaking at the meeting, Ms. Blessing Duru, Director of the Africa Partnership Program (AfA), said: “Until the government urgently intervenes by creating this agency, the effects of gender-based violence will continue to wreak havoc in the emotional, psychological and emotional. , social and physical of the Imo people.”

Duru also emphasized the need for a coordinated approach among service providers in the state to enable the achievement of effective results in ending violence against women and girls (VAWG) and other related issues in the state.

Also, Ernest Ogbu, Imo State Commander of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), called for sustained partnership and support, especially from the state government.

Ogbu and other members of the committee, during deliberations, identified as factors lack of adequate funding, delays in legal processes in court, frustration of the police, lack of availability of data, unfair accusations of cases, inadequate presentation of matters in courts and security issues. hindering the fight against gender violence in the state.

The committee, funded by AfA, is made up of heads of civil society organisations, the National Human Rights Commission, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the International Federation of Women Lawyers Associations (FIDA), the National Lawyers Guidance (NOA), the National Council. of Women’s Societies (NCWS) and media professionals.

Members of the committee also included traditional rulers, representatives of the police, the disability community, the Imo State Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Women Affairs and the Ministry of Health, among other key state actors.