NGO laments human right violations, seek increased awareness for survivors

Mohammed kaka Bauchi

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A Non-Governmental organization, Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund working in collaboration with Child Is Gold Foundation has decried increase human rights violation in the society.

The field department officer of the foundation, Poro Jesse Numzar stated this in an interview with newsmen when her Organization paid an advocacy visit to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Bauchi on Tuesday.

“We came here to partner with the National Human Rights Commission because we know their role in the area of checking human rights violation”, Numzar said.

The field department officer of the foundation, Poro Jesse Numzar who is also a facilitator for Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund, added, “so we are working on a project with Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund”.

According to her, the NGO’s main objective is to advocate against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and call for women inclusion in governance and in politics.

“So that’s why we came here so that we can synergize with a view to creating more awareness to the citizens, most especially those in the rural areas who do not perhaps know their rights”, Poro Jesse Numzar further explained.

She said as an organization, Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund has been visiting schools to create awareness for the children to know their rights and report to them in case such rights are violated.

Numzar who pointed out that most of their programmes are carried out in the rural areas, particularly local government areas, called for increased awareness through the Radio as women in the remote areas listen to the Radio very well.

“For instance, the life skill programme for girls and gender action learning, we do them mostly in the rural areas because we know that most of them don’t have access to legal knowledge”, she said.

Numzar said that the NGO has recorded several cases of rape in different LGs as a result of their advocacy visits, adding that they have also been visiting schools for awareness creation to enable the children know what to do if such cases are happening around their environment.

“We use to give them our phone contacts, so we have recorded over twenty rape cases, early marriage or forceful marriage. So far, these are some of the activities that we have carried out”, she said.

“In Child Is Gold Foundation, we have lawyers, anybody that happens to be a victim can come to our organization and we stand for such person for free, we have lawyers that can stand for you, and we have recorded so many successes in that regard”, Numzar stated.

While thanking the Bauchi state Coordinator of National Human Rights Commission for granting them audience, Numzar appreciated the effort of NHRC for fighting against Human Rights violation.

She applauded the state coordinator of the NHRC for the successes recorded since her assumption of office in Bauchi.

She said that the Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund is partnering with Child Is Gold Foundation in its quest to strengthening women voice and participation in governance to ensure that women lives a free-violent life in the society as well as foster gender equality in the nation.

According her, there is hardly a day that passes without case of gender-based violence been recorded in the society and the victims don’t know the channels or procedures of seeking justice.

“We want your Commission to support the partnership towards achieving the objectives of the project which include mitigating gender-based violence that is prevalent in our society today”, she said.

Numzar said there is the need to strengthen women participation in electoral process, prompt inclusiveness in governance or leadership in both elective or appointive position without any discrimination based on gender, religion or political affiliation in Bauchi state.

“We solicit that the Commission create more awareness with regards to its existence and function in the Radio as women even in remote areas listen to Radio programs so that women can have access to their services wherever they are in the country”, she requested.

Numzar urged the Commission to fast-track justice to the survivors of gender based violence, easy access to reporting gender based violence to the Commission to curb justice delay or denial.

The NGO which demanded that human Rights clubs should be formed in all secondary schools across the 20 LGAs of Bauchi state seek the support, partnership and cooperation of NHRC in the implementation of their program.

Responding, the Coordinator, National Human Rights Commission, Bauchi state office, Yahcit Dala, Esq. said the doors of the Commission is always opened for partnership Human Rights Organizations.

Dala who said that the National Human Rights Commission was established in 1995 during the military regime of late General Sani Abacha explained that since then, it has been tirelessly working to protect the citizens against any form of human rights violation.