By Philip Yatai

The Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative (EWEI) says it will support the Kaduna State Chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) to develop policy on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).

Ms Jelilat Abioye, EWEI’s Technical Adviser, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning, stated this in Kaduna on Thursday, at a one-day seminar to review existing policies and laws that address SGBV issues in the state.

Abiyoye explained that developing the GBV policies would help protect the members and their passengers against any form of sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based violence.

According to her, the measure is part of EWEI.s efforts to create safe spaces for everybody, especially women and girls in public places.

“When there is an existing policy on GBV, it will be easier to punish perpetrators of SGBV and get justice for survivors.”

Abiyoye, who is one of the facilitators at the seminar, educates members of the union on strategic advocacies, which she said was critical to mobilizing stakeholders to support the development of the policy.

The NURTW State Secretary, Special Duties, Mr Hassan Ibrahim, commended EWEI for the support, describing it as timely considering the raising incidence of rape, domestic violence and other GBV.

Ibrahim pledged the commitment of the union to work with EWEI to develop the policy from drawing from the union’s constitution, bylaws, and other government instruments to strengthen prevention of SGBV in motor parks.

He disclosed that the union constitution encourages women participation in the activities of the union and makes provision for their empowerment and protection against SGBV at home and or motor packs.

“If a member has a problem with his wife and she reports the issue to us, we will look into it and if the husband is found wanting, he will be sanctioned.

“Our constitutions and bylaws guide our code of conduct with specific sanction ranging from expulsion, suspension, fine to other forms of punishment for any act that disgraces the reputation of the union.

“These provisions have helped us significantly in checking excesses of our members, particularly gross misconduct that tarnishes the image of the union and other social vices,” he said.

On her part, the State Coordinator, Kaduna Civil Society SGBV Coalition, Bukola Ajao, commended NURTW for making specific provisions to protect the interest of women in the constitution.

Ajao, who took the participants through existing laws and policies that addresses SGBV issues in the state, also commended the union for making provisions to punish misconduct including SGBV.

She said that the development of the SGBV policy for the union would consider provisions in various policies and laws in the state that address SGBV concerns.

She identified some of the legal instruments as Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, Penal Code Law, Child Welfare and Protection Law and other related government policies.

Earlier, Mr Mendie Jeremiah, EWEI Programme Officer, Gender, said that support was under the NGOs “We for Them” project, being implemented with support from the African Women’s Development Fund.

Jerimiah explained that the project was designed to mobilise 4,500 critical stakeholders to curb sexual and gender-based violence in public places in Kaduna state.

He said that EWEI was working with the NURTW and the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, Kaduna Polytechnic Chapter in implementing the two-year project, 2022 to 2024.