Human rights network partners FEYreP to checkmate GBV, protect vulnerable folks in Akwa Ibom

The Akwa Ibom Human Rights Community (AKHRC), a network of civil society organizations, institutions and individuals, practicing, promoting and protecting the rights of individuals and communities, has formed a partnership with the Family Empowerment and Youth Re-orientation Path-initiative (FEYreP) on the fight against Gender Based Violence in Akwa Ibom State.

This partnership was consummated at a brief ceremony on Tuesday, February 25 at the headquarters of FEYreP, witnessed the Executive Director, Her Excellency, Dr. Martha Udom Emmanuel, and the management team of the organization as well as the Convener and Coordinator of the Human Rights network, Clifford Thomas along with leaders of selected members of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the State.

And lamenting the increasing incidents of Gender Based Violence in homes, work places, markets and the communities, FEYreP noted that it has assumed a crisis dimension in the society, and observed that partnering with the human rights network, will open the space for more persons, organizations and institutions with vast cognate experience with practical hands-on knowledge to be part of the advocacy and education of the people and the communities.

Highlighting that the entire significance of the FEYreP will be achieved with the partnership, Dr. Emmanuel noted that the Objectives of Women Empowerment, Provision of an enabling environment for the realization of Potentials, Prevention of Teenage Pregnancies, Protection and enhancement of values amongst others, would be promoted.

Clifford Thomas while welcoming the partnership deal on behalf of the over 118 members of the Akwa Ibom Human Rights Community, noted that the network is bringing the specialized skills of her members ranging from Counselling, Litigations, Media, ADR, police and security agencies intervention and vast experience across several areas of human engagements, acknowledged the contributions of FEYreP to strengthening the human capital index, especially in the pursuit and realization of socio-economic and cultural rights of the people.

During the interactive session, experiences were shared, strategies were discussed, commitments were extracted, and an escalating road map in several intervention areas were earmarked for development.

It was agreed that the strategic partnership would amongst others, handle the growing cases of rape, incest, spousal battering, deprivation of inheritance rights, violation of the general rights of the members of the public, child rights, orphans, widows and vulnerable members of the public.

Catalogue of Child Survivors who are victims of rape, defilement, incest, spouses battered and tortured by their partners were emphasized, and suggestions on how to tackle the menace were made.