Govt, WHO to expand services to survivors of sexual abuse in Borno
The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with Government to expand and improve services offered to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in northeastern Nigeria.
Quoting the 2016 report of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the WHO revealed in a statement that more than 6 500 women and girls were identified as survivors of SGBV in the NE.
The statement disclosed that a gender-based violence (GBV), working group, trained to build the skills of community health extension workers, consisting of nurses and midwives drawn from the State Ministry of Health and the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (SPHCDA) have been engaged to offer mentorship to survivors of SGBV as the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Maiduguri in Borno State.
In addition to the GBV working group, in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, WHO plans to train Government health workers in counseling and clinical management of rape cases.
The trained health workers the statement added will be able to offer post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent patients becoming infected after possible exposure to HIV, HIV testing and emergency contraceptives.
The statement added that so far, the WHO has trained about 151 Mobile Health Team Coordinator (HTR) team members to respond to the immediate physical, emotional and psychological health needs of women and girls subjected to intimate partner violence and sexual violence in Borno State.
WHO has also trained 75 government staff – nurses, midwives and community health extension workers – from a number of health facilities in providing first line support to GBV survivors.
Speaking on the development, Saratu Ayuba, the WHO HTR “We believe we can leverage our existing access in hard-to-reach areas to improve and expand our coverage of basic services for GBV survivors.
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“We also plan to address loopholes and better incorporate GBV indicators into service monitoring and data collection. Furthermore, WHO will engage the health sector working group to scale up coverage and quality of appropriate GBV response and prevention services for populations at risk”.
Meanwhile, Dr Salisu Kwaya Bura, Commissioner for Health, Borno State has reaffirmed government continued support for creating an enabling environment for the intervention to be successful.
“The GBV initiative is timely as this is a recurring issue which affects many of our women.
‘’Government will continue to provide the needed support and create an enabling environment for these interventions to be successful’’, he said.
