By Deborah Mdima Adekaa.
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has called on the Benue State Media Team to step up efforts to tackle Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Benue State, with emphasis on grassroots and community sensitisation, mother-tongue communication and stronger collaboration with the media.
The agency’s renewed approach was made known on Wednesday, September 30, during a physical mentoring meeting of the ESGBV Media Corps at the NAPTIP Zonal Office in Makurdi.
In her address during the meeting, Mrs. Theresa Hembadoon Kuma, the NAPTIP Makurdi zonal commander said the continued prevalence of SGBV, particularly in Zones A and B of the state, remained a major concern that requires a sustained public education and coordinated intervention.
Mrs Kuma said NAPTIP has responded by producing educative jingles in local languages and expanding sensitisation efforts to reach travellers and other members of the public.
The development underscores the importance of taking SGBV awareness beyond formal institutions and into communities where victims, survivors and vulnerable persons may have limited access to information on prevention, reporting and available support services.
Mr. Vincent Adekoye who was the representative of the Director-General of NAPTIP said the ESGBV Media Corps was created to strengthen the media’s contribution to the fight against SGBV by giving the issue sustained attention, amplifying survivors’ voices and improving access to justice.
He urged journalists to remain consistent in reporting SGBV, stressing the need for stronger collaboration and information-sharing between media practitioners and other stakeholders.
Adekoye also warned that silence could allow perpetrators to continue exploiting victims, urging the media to use their platforms to educate the public and encourage appropriate responses to cases of SGBV.
The ESGBV State Coordinator, Mrs. Gloria Bai, said the initiative had continued to yield positive results, while commending NAPTIP, International IDEA and the European Union for their support.
Bai encouraged members of the Media Corps to sustain reporting on SGBV and contribute to public awareness, victim support, rescue and rehabilitation efforts.
Earlier Dr. Tim Aniebonam, urged members to view the mentoring exercise as an opportunity to improve their work rather than as a fault-finding session.
Dr Aniebonam stress the importance of stronger advocacy, public enlightenment and compliance with professional reporting standards and programme timelines.
The meeting also provided members of the Media Corps with the opportunity to review their individual action plans, share progress made, identify challenges and consider strategies for improving the media’s response to SGBV across Benue.
As NAPTIP intensifies community-level sensitisation and the Media Corps strengthening its reporting efforts, stakeholders said continued public awareness creation and coordinated action remained critical to addressing SGBV and ensuring that survivors receive appropriate support and access to justice.