Attach Sisters Helping Hand (ASSH) Foundation says it has introduced therapy sessions to help survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) to reintegrate and assimilate into communities properly.

The foundation’s programme manager, Kingsley Yalling, disclosed this in an interview in Bauchi on Wednesday as part of the Baobab fellowship project.

He said the therapy sessions, conducted monthly by experts from the foundation and communities, were to expedite the healing process for survivors, family members and communities.

According to him, the foundation introduced the sessions to support survivors and to hasten healing from the trauma and experience of SGBV.

Mr Yalling said, “ASSH Foundation commenced healing therapy sessions in 2020 in local government councils. The monthly exercise is conducted with 30 patients in communities and 20 in the foundation office.

“So far from 2020, the foundation has successfully reintegrated and healed 78 survivors across the state. We don’t discharge survivors until they are completely healed. We also empower them as soon as they come out of trauma.”

The programme manager added that the foundation also constitutes community peace groups to support and report SGBV cases to appropriate authorities.

Amina Garuba, the executive director of the Ikra Foundation for Women and Youth Development Initiative (IFWYDI), said at least 10,000 stakeholders were reached with advocacy messages on SGBV in Bauchi.

She said awareness programmes were conducted across three selected local government councils of Katagum, Toro and Misau to deliver key messages against gender violations.

According to her, it is imperative to protect survivors of GBV from stigmatisation and discrimination.

Ms Garba emphasised that survivors should be accepted, reintegrated and supported to ease their healing process. She explained that stigmatisation could be another form of trauma on the victim’s psycho-social emotions, hence the need for proactive measures against stigmatisation.

She said the group had sensitised 10,000 people on the dangers of SGBV between October and November 2023, adding that “this will pave the way for easy reintegration of survivors into the society.”

(NAN)