CAPACITY BUILDING OF STRATEGIC MINISTRIES, DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES OF ADAMAWA STATE GOVERNMENT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS/PLANS ON SGBV/VAWG/HP AND SRHR COMMUNIQUE

August 10, 2020

1. INTRODUCTION

The Capacity Building Workshop for Strategic Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Adamawa State Government on formulation of Action Plans and Policies and implementation of National and International Standards on sexual and gender based violence (SGBV), violence against women and girls (VAWG), harmful practices (HP) and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) was convened by Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) with the support of the European Union-United Nations Spotlight Initiative at Madugu Rockview Hotel, 10 Rock Heaven Avenue, Behind Government House, Yola Adamawa State on August 10^th and 11^th 2020. Participation was drawn from MDAs of Adamawa State notably, the Ministries of Women Affairs, Agriculture, Education and Human Capital Development, Finance and Budgeting, Information and Strategy, Health, Justice, Youth and Sports Development, State Planning Commission and the State House of Assembly.

The workshop is part of a series of activities under the Spotlight Initiative which seeks to eliminate violence against women and girls with the overall vision of a Nigeria where women and girls, particularly the most vulnerable, live a life free from violence and harmful practices.

The workshop was convened to contribute to an outcome vis; Legislative and policy frameworks based on evidence and in line with international human rights standards, on all forms of violence against women and girls and harmful practices are in place and translated into plans. The expected output is that capacities of government officials are strengthened to advocate for, and participate in the domestication, review, the development and implementation of laws and policies on ending VAWG, including SGBV/HP and promotion of SRHR. 

The objectives are designed from the supply side considering that government provides the supply in the performance of official duties in fulfilment of the fundamental objective that the security and welfare of the people is the primary purpose of government. It seeks to build the capacity of participants to:

• Understand VAWG/SGBV/HP/SRHR and the provisions in subnational, national and international standards including the SDGs on the project theme;
• Understand and use the indicators for measurement and assessment of progress towards eradicating VAWG/SGBV/HP and promoting SRHR in the preparation and implementation of national and subnational plans;
• Mainstream response to VAWG/SGBV/HP/SRHR in the preparation and implementation of national and state level policy instruments;
• Mainstream responses to VAWG/SGBV/HP/SRHR in the preparation and implementation of budgets within the policy, plan budget continuum;
• Establish the relationship for continued institutional knowledge support within the project period.

The following presentations were made:

(a) Standards on SGBV/VAWG/HP and SRHR.

(b) Indicators for Measurement of Success in Eradicating SGBV/VAWG/HP/SRHR

(c) Mainstreaming SGBV/VAWG/HP/SRHR in Plans and Policies

(d) Budgeting for the Eradication of SGBV/VAWG/HP and improvement of SRHR:

(e) Review of the published SGBV and Adamawa State Budget: 2016-2019.

The participants undertook group discussions which focused on identifying policy gaps and challenges as well as low hanging fruits for action in the following MDAs; Women Affairs, Education, Health, Justice, Youth and Sports, Agriculture and Information. 

2. OBSERVATIONS

The Workshop Made the Following Observations

(a) There is no Gender Policy or a Policy on SGBV/VAWG/HP/SRHR in Adamawa State. However, Adamawa State as a part of the Nigerian Federation is bound by all treaties ratified and applicable to Nigeria. These include the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), SDG5 and other relevant Goals and Comments/Observations of the CEDAW Committee; United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (DEVAW); the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action; Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and its Limburg Principles and Maastricht Guidelines in relation to States parties obligations, etc.

(b) Adamawa State has not adopted the Child Rights Act, the Violence against Persons Prohibition Act. Furthermore, there is no specific law prohibiting domestic violence.

(c) The State has not set up by law, Sexual and Gender Based Violence Response Teams. The exiting SGBVR Team in the State was set up by Voluntary Agencies in collaboration with Government.

(d) We recall the promise of the Body of Attorney Generals of the 19 Northern states to adopt VAPP across all the states in the Region,

(e) Adamawa State recognises in its penal Code that 18 years is the age of majority and informed consent and anyone below the age of 18 is deemed to be a child by law. Sex with any person under the age of 18 is criminalised by the Penal Code.

(f) Sources for data, measurement of progress and validation of the observance of norms for the eradication of SGBV/VAWG/HP and improvement of SRHR of women and girls include the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) and Nigerian Education Indicators.

(g) Available data indicates that Adamawa State:

• Performed well in the virtual zero numbers of female genital mutilation/cutting.
• Performed poorly in early marriage and teenage motherhood, attendance and completion rates in basic education, delivery by skilled birth attendants and in a health facility as well as usage of modern contraceptives.
• Despite the free education programme, there is dearth of school infrastructure; so many levies are charged by schools and this inhibits girl child education; monitoring and evaluation is still poor; second chance opportunities for girls are limited.
• 35% Affirmative Action for Adamawa Women is not yet in place.
• Health establishments are lacking qualified personnel, equipment and facilities, etc.
• Law enforcement challenges; lack of dedicated courts to try SGBV; stigmatisation.

(h) The following MDAs were deemed to be central to the campaign for the eradication of SGBV/VAWG/HP and promotion of the SRHR of women and girl’s vis, the Ministries of Women Affairs, Agriculture, Education and Human Capital Development, Finance and Budgeting, Information and Strategy, Health, Justice, Youth and Sports Development, State Planning Commission and the State House of Assembly.

(i) We observe that the concept of resources for the struggle against SGBV/VAWG/HP is beyond money and fiscal resources. Resources include human, information, ecological, technological, etc. resources.

(j) The Appropriation Act seems to be poorly funded across the sectors in the State as the releases do not match the appropriations.

(k) Several low hanging fruits in activities, budgeting and policy are available for the realisation of freedom from violence across the state.

3. RESOLUTIONS

Based On The Foregoing Observations, The Workshop Participants Resolved As Follows:

1. Commit to work for the drafting, adoption and implementation of State Gender Policy.
2. Participants commit to raise awareness and disseminate information on national and international standards as well as strengthen relationships, cooperation and collaboration among Adamawa MDAs.
3. Participants commit to bridge the gap between laws and policies and their implementation and to use empirical evidence for policy and plan implementation.
4. Work through their MDAs for adoption of the Child Rights Act, establishment by law of the Sexual and Gender Based Violence Response Team and enact specific laws prohibiting domestic violence.
5. Take up the promise of the Body of Attorney Generals of the 19 Northern states to adopt VAPP across all the states in the Region through the engagement of the executive and legislature in Adamawa State.
6. Tackle the challenges of child/early marriage, teenage pregnancy and VVF through the enforcement of the universal basic education requirement for all girls to be in school until 18. Sensitisation and engagement of religious leaders and traditional rulers on the provisions of the Penal Code of Adamawa State on the age of marriage and consent to marriage as anyone below the age of 18 is deemed to be a child by law.
7. To mainstream SGBV/VAWG/HP and SRHR in the budgets of the Ministries of Women Affairs, Education, Health, Justice, Agriculture, Information, Budget and Planning, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, etc. in 2021 and subsequent years. And to ensure that expenditure proposals are realistic and in tandem with revenue sources which will lead to budgets being fully funded.
8. To deploy other resources including information, technology and ecological resources for the eradication of SGBV/VAWG/HP and promotion of SRHR, etc.
9. Low hanging fruits would include:

• General: Mainstreaming inter agency collaboration in SGBV/VAWG
• Health: Training of health personnel to handle SGBV Survivors, Free Maternal and Child Health Services.
• Information: Sensitisation and awareness raising on SGBV.
• Women Affairs: Sensitisation, awareness raising and capacity building. Setting up knowledge centres and capacity units in the Ministry of Women Affairs to facilitate women’s access to soft loans and funding of development agencies;
• Education: Second chance opportunities

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