It has been observed that one of the gaps in dealing with issues of gender is that most of the gender desk officers are lacking in the area of knowing the concept of gender and what gender mainstreaming means.
The observation by a Non-Governmental organization, CLEEN Foundation which organized a capacity-building training workshop for Gender Desk officers of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) held at Jamil Guest Palace Bauchi.
While addressing the participants, the resource person of the workshop, Dr Angela Olofu Adeoye said that the aim of the training was to build the capacity of the participants in the area of gender-based violence.
Angela Adeoye who is a Gender Specialist and Lecturer with the Centre for Conflict Management and Peace Studies, University of Jos, Plateau state, said that the training will enable the participants to get the required additional knowledge and bring to their awareness, best global practices in the area of policing and administering of gender within the security sector they represent.
According to her, “For no fault of theirs anyway because they don’t have the proper training, proper awareness you know, on what these issues are, and that lack of knowledge impedes on their job and the role they are supposed to play as gender desk officers within the security sector.”
She also said that “Such gaps affect them in how to handle gender-based issues. You just find them lumping issues together and that was further affecting the fundamental human rights of the citizenry.”
The training according to her, was to enable the participants to know the global best practices for handling gender-based issues and bring to bear, the knowledge they are going to acquire during the training.
Angela Adeoye who said that gender discrimination or inequality knows no religion or tribe, pointed out that the issue cut across the board within society.
She further noted that one of the essences of capacity-building training is to advocate, create awareness, and sensitize the participants to enable them to step down the knowledge acquired to the relevant institutions such as the traditional and religious institutions within their domains.
“We have the strong belief that they have access to these people and by the virtue of the positions they are occupying they have the wherewithal to be able to impact the traditional and religious Institutions to bring about the needed change,” Dr Adeoye maintained.
She informed the participants that it was a great privilege for them to be selected for the training, urging them to take the training with all seriousness and see themselves as social change agents and step down the knowledge gained to their respective divisions and sectors in order to acquire the needed change in gender-based issues.
Earlier in his opening address, the Executive Director of CLEEN Foundation, Mr Gad Peter assured the participants that at the end of the training, they will go back to their respective offices better equipped towards handling gender-based issues.
He enjoined the participants to listen attentively to messages from the resource person in order to add up to the knowledge they already have to enable them to discharge their responsibilities as gender desk officers in their respective Organizations.
A participant at the training, OC Gender, Katsina State Command of the Nigerian Police, SP Yekwe Andazi Diseimi who commended CLEEN Foundation for organizing the training, pledged to use the additional knowledge acquired in the area of assignment.
“The seminar is very important because you can not give what you don’t have, training and retraining in the force are very important because on a daily basis things change and we need to change with time,” she said.
According to her, the training will help in building inter-security agencies’ synergy and makes one know where to get assistance from other sister security agencies in the area of handling gender-based issues.
Another participant, the Gender Desk officer of the FCT Command of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps Abuja, Supretendent Samuel Precious described the training as inspiring, which she said will avail them with additional knowledge.
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