The Rule of Law and Anti Corruption Program (ROLAC) of Anambra State, has charged the various Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) that work towards the elimination of Gender Based Violences (GBVs), to ensure they make defined coordination their modus operandi in the discharge of their duties.
Angel Network News (ANN) reports that, the project officer of Rule of Law and Anti-corruption Program, Mr Shadrach Nwekeagu gave the charge at the Second Quarterly Coordination Meeting held in Awka.
Mr Nwekeagu, who equally emphasised the need for the CSOs to follow up their reports, stated that lack of proper coordination among them would make mess of the data they collated in their incident reports.
The ROLAC associate project officer while
pointing out the need for harmonisation in the use of the incident report forms also advised against reporting incidents haphazardly.
He explained that cases involving children must be carried out under ASCRIC, and those involving adults, under VAPPLIC. While all cases should be properly documented in the online form and married with the hard copies.
Earlier in her goodwill message, the Anambra State Project Coordinator, Rule of Law and Anti Corruption, Mrs Josephine Onah, tasked the CSOs on proper collation of data so as to achieve the expected result.
Onah explained that ROLAC of the International Ideas had carried out lots of trainings and programs for the various organisations.
The project coordinator, urged them to step up their efforts and keep records of all their activities so as to achieve the desired result before the end of the quarter of the year.
According to her, it was no longer business as usual, and ROLAC was particular about the data of their activities as well as following up of the reports of all Gender-Based Violence cases, including those already in courts.
While urging the members of the various organisations not to relent, Mrs Onah noted that consistent hardwork was expected of them so as to contain the tide of rape and other prevalent gender-based violence cases in the state, and give the children and other victims the justice and safety they deserved.
The Co-Chairman/ State Coordinator, VAPPLIC/ASCRIC, Mrs Lovet Uju Onyendilefu, noted that the coordination meeting was specifically to validate the data of incidents and cases which were reported from various LGAs..
Pointing out that for a data to be accurate, it must be detailed, Mrs Onyedilefu, advised the participants against being in a hurry to fill in data, less they mixed up the information.
The VAPPLIC/ASCRIC Coordinator, stressed the need for necessary support plan of every case to be documented in the GBV form, and the next action, which could be either reporting to the police station or to the Ntasi referral Centre to be taken immediately.
She warned members of the organisations against any sort of delay in handling rape cases, saying that any delay might lead to loss of evidence of the case.
Mrs Onyedilefu, explained that in line with the law, all rape Cases are expected to be moved to State CID and the Ntasi referral centre within 72 hours.
The meeting had in attendance, members of Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law Implementation Committee (VAPPLIC), the Child Protection Network (CPN), the Anambra State Child Rights Law Implementation Committee (ASCRIC) and the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD).
