BENIN CITY, Edo State — The Edo State Government has unveiled a policy framework aimed at strengthening the prevention, reporting, response and prosecution of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TF-GBV) across the state.
The policy was unveiled by the Coordinator, Office of the First Lady, Edo State, and Chairperson of the Edo State GBV Management Committee, Mrs. Edesili Okpebholo Anani, during the 17th Gender-Based Violence Management Committee Quarterly Meeting held at the New Festival Hall, Government House, Benin City.
The event was organised by the Edo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in collaboration with ROLAC.
Mrs. Anani, in her opening remarks, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to creating a safer and more inclusive society where women, girls, children and other vulnerable persons can live free from violence, abuse, exploitation and discrimination.
She noted that while technology had transformed communication and social interaction, it had also created new avenues for gender-based violence, particularly against women and girls.
According to her, emerging forms of technology-facilitated GBV include cyberstalking, image-based abuse, online sexual harassment, cyberbullying, online sexual exploitation and other forms of digital violence.
She explained that the new policy provides a comprehensive framework for prevention, protection, reporting, referral, response and accountability in addressing technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
Mrs. Anani said the policy also demonstrates the state government’s commitment to ensuring that its laws, policies and institutional responses remain relevant to emerging forms of violence in the digital age.
To drive the implementation of the policy, she announced the constitution of an Implementation Subcommittee for the Edo State Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence Policy.
She congratulated members of the committee and urged them to discharge their responsibilities with dedication, stressing that effective implementation would be critical to translating the policy from a document into meaningful protection for residents.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Eugenia Abdallah, described the policy as a timely response to emerging threats in digital spaces.
Mrs. Abdallah said technology had transformed the way people communicate, learn, work and interact, but had simultaneously created new avenues for gender-based violence.
She said the policy seeks to ensure that women, girls and all persons can participate safely and meaningfully in digital spaces.
The Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, Patrick Daaor, assured the GBV Management Committee of the command’s continued collaboration in tackling technology-facilitated crimes, particularly cyberbullying and cyberstalking.
Daaor pledged that the police would work with relevant stakeholders to strengthen prevention, investigation and response mechanisms aimed at reducing such offences in the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Cyril Oshiomole, called for improved care and support for survivors of gender-based violence.
He stressed that survivors must not be blamed for the violence perpetrated against them, adding that health facilities across the state should provide victims with adequate medical care, support and necessary attention.
The Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Roland Itoyah Otaru, described gender-based violence as a violation of human rights that must not be tolerated.
He said the introduction of the policy was a significant step towards curbing technology-enabled crimes and strengthening institutional responses, adding that the judiciary remained committed to ensuring appropriate and stiffer penalties for offenders within the ambit of the law.
The Implementation Subcommittee comprises representatives of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), Ministry of Education, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Science and Technology, Edo State ICT Agency (ICTA), Uromi JDPC and JONAPWD.
The state government said the constitution of the subcommittee is expected to strengthen inter-agency coordination and facilitate effective implementation of the TF-GBV Policy across Edo State.
The initiative further underscores the government’s commitment to protecting women, girls, children and other vulnerable persons from violence, both offline and online.
