CLEEN Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organization, yesterday, trained officers in the gender units of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) on how to handle Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV).
Speaking during the event, the resource person of the workshop, Dr Angela Olofu Adeoye, explained that the training was meant to boost the capacity of the participants in the area of gender-based violence.
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According to the gender specialist, the exercise will allow the participants to achieve the mandatory knowledge and raise their awareness, the best global practices in the area of policing and administering of gender within the security sectors they represent.
Adeoye added that one of the challenges in handling gender issues is that most of the gender desk officers are lacking in the area of knowing the concept of gender and what gender mainstreaming means.
“For no fault of theirs anyway because they don’t have the proper training, proper awareness you know, on what these issues are, and that lack of knowledge impedes on their job and the role they are supposed to play as gender desk officers within the security sector,” she said.
“Such gaps affect them in how to handle gender-based issues. You just find them lumping issues together and that was further affecting the fundamental human rights of the citizenry”, Adeoye added.
A participant at the training, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Katsina Police Command’s Gender Unit, Yekwe Andazi Diseimi who commended the foundation for organising the training, promised to put the knowledge into practice.
“The seminar is very important because you can not give what you don’t have, training and retraining in the force is very important because on a daily basis things change and we need to change with time,” she said.
On his part, the Executive Director of CLEEN Foundation, Gad Peter assured the participants that the training would better equip them towards dealing with gender-based issues.
He called on the participants to heed advice from the resource person so as to add up to the knowledge they already have to help them discharge their responsibilities as gender desk officers in their respective organisations.
