By Ogenyi Ogenyi, Uyo
Akwa Ibom State has emerged the overall second best, after Lagos State, and one of the model States in the campaign against Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Nigeria.
This was contained in the Womanity Index Report launched yesterday in Abuja by Invictus Africa and BudgIT Foundation.
The Womanity Index Report utilized quantitative and qualitative data collection and research approaches, and assessed subnational government’ commitment to GBV prevention and response using indicators across five indexes, Laws and Policies, Access to Legal Justice, Support Services, Information and Awareness, and Budget and Spending.
States are ranked using colour codes, both overall and individual index.
Akwa Ibom State was ranked across the five indexes as follows, Laws and Policy -Blue (Excellent), Access to Legal Justice – Yellow (Fair), Support Services – Yellow (Fair), Information and Awareness – Green (Very Good), Budget and Spending -Green (Very Good), and its Overall Ranking was Green (Very Good)
Other states also ranked GREEN included Bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta Edo, Ekiti, FCT, Kaduna and Ogun States.
Only Lagos State was ranked BLUE and a shining example for other States of the Federation to follow as far as SGBV Prevention and Response is concern.
The Womanity Index showed gaps in the implementation of SGBV Prevention and Response even among the Blue, Green, Yellow and Red States.
This implied that Akwa Ibom State still has lots of room for improvement despite the great progress recorded since COVID-19 on SGBV Prevention and Response in State.
Akwa Ibom State Government got interested in GBV response and prevention in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic through the effort and political will of the immediate past First Lady Mrs Martha Udom Emmanuel and the State GBV Management Committee.
