The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and other stakeholders have urged the Benue government to strengthen its response to gender-based violence (GBV) by effectively implementing standard operating procedures (SOPs) and referral pathways.

They made the call at a five-day workshop on the development and validation of the state’s SOPs and referral pathways for responding to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

A child protection specialist with UNICEF Nigeria, Victor Atuchukwu, said the workshop allowed relevant ministries, law enforcement agencies, health workers, social welfare officials, civil society organisations, and development partners to establish a common framework for delivering comprehensive services to survivors.

The specialist stressed that the initiative’s success would depend not merely on developing and validating the documents but on ensuring their effective implementation by relevant institutions.

Mr Atuchukwu urged stakeholders to contribute meaningfully to the process to ensure that the final documents reflect their respective mandates, responsibilities and the needs of survivors.

“This is the time to put aside our traditional barriers and ensure that survivors receive the response services they deserve and that perpetrators are brought to justice,” he said.

He called on law enforcement agencies, the justice system, social welfare institutions and health workers to participate actively in developing and implementing the framework.

According to him, the expected outcomes include state-level SOPs for responding to SGBV, referral pathways and a directory of service providers detailing the services available to survivors.

The child protection specialist expressed optimism that the documents would be ready by Friday, adding that their implementation would be critical to ensuring a coordinated and effective response to GBV in the state.

Similarly, Evelyn Katono, UNHCR head of field office in Benue, emphasised the need for a timely, coordinated and survivor-centred approach to ensure access to safe, confidential and quality services.

Ms Katono described the workshop as an important opportunity to strengthen collaboration, clarify referral mechanisms, and build stakeholders’ capacity to improve service delivery.

She commended government institutions, humanitarian partners and civil society organisations for their efforts to protect the rights, dignity and well-being of women, girls and other vulnerable groups affected by displacement, conflict and humanitarian challenges.

Ms Katono stressed that effective coordination and shared accountability were essential to creating a protection environment in which survivors were treated with respect, compassion and confidentiality.

The head of the field office also encouraged participants to share experiences, identify gaps and develop practical solutions to improve referral mechanisms and access to essential services.

Mimidoo Williams-Uhundu, executive director of Spring of Hope Nigeria and general Secretary of the Benue NGO Network (BENGONET), called for an accessible and harmonised response system that would ensure survivors received support regardless of their location.

She observed that despite the efforts of civil society organisations and other stakeholders, existing GBV response mechanisms remained fragmented.

Ms Williams-Uhundu reaffirmed civil society organisations’ commitment to working with government institutions and development partners to strengthen the response system and improve survivor protection.

Also speaking, Leonard Viashima, director-general of the Benue State Bureau for International Cooperation and Development (BICD), urged development partners to align their interventions with the state government’s priorities.

Mr Viashima said donor expectations developed outside the state’s priorities were beginning to negatively affect its development efforts.

The director-general also urged civil society organisations to drive local implementation of the SOPs and provide direction after international partners had completed their assignments.

(NAN)