On the 7th October 2021, the UNFPA Resident Representative Ms. Ulla Mueller and her team paid a courtesy call to the Honourable Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu. at her office in Abuja. UNFPA has been a strong partner of the government in addressing Reproductive Health and Rights, Gender-Based violence, and young people's program project. Another area of support is in the rehabilitation of health facilities and the provision and capacity building of Nurses and Midwives across the board.
UNFPA Nigeria targeted area of interventions is to improve the gender-based violence policy environment at national and state levels. The Fund works with a variety of partners to provide survivors with medical, reproductive health services, and/or psychosocial care as part of our commitment to rehabilitate women and girls who have been abused and to help them overcome their ordeal, this visit also provided an opportunity for the handing-over donation of dignity kits and medical supplies to the Minister for the victims and survivors of GBV at the shelter.
Among the items donated were 100 bags of dignity kits (menstrual pads, bath soap, underwear, detergent powder, sanitary napkins, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc.) all housed inside the bag. Along with the bag were100 plastic buckets, 100 mats, 100 blankets, 100 slippers, 100 Ankara wrappers, 100 reusable sanitary pads, 100 whistles, 100 packs of petroleum jelly, 100 hand sanitizers, 100 bottles of hand wash, and 2,500 face masks to address the reproductive health needs of women and girls, and restoration of the dignity of GBV survivors in the FCT.
The donated items were funded by the One EU-UN COVID-19 Basket Fund. The fund complements ongoing efforts in resource mobilization and supports the national COVID-19 Multi-Sectoral Pandemic Response Plan. While receiving the kits, meant to support vulnerable women and girls including GBV survivors, the Honorable Minister thanked UNFPA for the timeliness of the donation.
“My sincere gratitude to the United Nations Population Fund for the timely support in the form of dignity kits and other non-pharmaceutical products donated for women and girls in the GBV Shelter. These items will certainly support the Federal Government’s efforts in addressing the hygiene and reproductive health needs of women and girls in FCT”.
Ms. Mueller expressed her concerns on the increase of gender-based violence since the pandemic and how it had risen to an alarming proportion. She urged the government and private sector to come to the aid of the vulnerable women and girls with a response that would guarantee stiffer penalties for perpetrators. The Representative, also advocated for synergy among actors to end GBV and assured the Minister State of UNFPA’s support to the Centre.
The UNFPA Resident Representative said: It is when perpetrators are prosecuted that girls and women will have a safe space. The survivors must be seen as not just victims, but as sisters to some people, mothers, and children, then we will feel the touch’ ’We should stop naming and shaming the victims. We can only create an enabling environment if we make it real and we must not be afraid to speak out,”
