1 month ago
13 ARTICLE AD
Wife of Ekiti State Governor, Olayemi Oyebanji
The Ekiti State First Lady, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, has reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to imposing stringent penalties on perpetrators of gender-based violence.
In a communique at the end of a two-day workshop on Gender-based Violence organised by the Office of Ekiti State First Lady and the Ministry of Local Government Affairs, the governor’s wife pledged to rally around stakeholders to step up efforts to drastically reduce the menace in the state.
According to the communique made available in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday, the First Lady said, “Perpetrators of GBV in Ekiti State will always face the consequence of their actions to serve as deterrents to others.
“GBV is a human rights violation that threatens the well-being and development. Participants should make judicious use of the workshop to create actionable plans and key into the issues of GBV in various communities in tackling the menace.”
The Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Folorunso Olabode, lauded the governor’s wife for the enriching and educative workshop on combating GBV, which was aimed at raising awareness, providing education developing strategies to combat GBV in the state.
Olabode advised participants comprising stakeholders including the state Attorney-general; top female elected officials and political appointees; top female civil servants; local government chairmen and their spouses and gender desk officials, among others to put into action all that had been learnt for a good turn around on GBV.
The communique listed resolutions at the workshop to include that the government should ensure comprehensive and standardized procedures for receiving, documenting and reporting to GBV.
Participants at the workshop also resolved the government should establish a dedicated task force/response unit for the safety of the victims, ensure continuous training on GBV, and provide necessary equipment for gender desk officers in the Councils.
They also want “disciplinary actions taken against any official who fails to respond to GBV cases, ensure that the First Lady’s project, Widows and Orphans Hope project should be replicated in local governments.”
The stakeholders also resolved that “governments should ensure payment of adequate compensation to the survivors of GBV, empower law enforcement agencies and the judiciary on prompt attendance to GBV cases and the establishment of gender court” among others.
