The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami, says it is imperative to train investigators and prosecutors who handle Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) cases.
Malami said this at the `First Moot Court Trial’ organised by the ministry, FCT High Court in collaboration with the EU through the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Program in Abuja on Monday.
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“It’s imperative to train these first responders in the access to justice spectrum on evidence collection and storage, intelligence gathering and reporting, evidence analysis and chain of custody preservation.
“The above highlighted are critical to a successful prosecution and conviction of (SGBV) offenders’’.
The minister, represented by Abdulrahim Shuaibu, Director in the Public Prosecution Department, stressed the need for the establishment of more Sexual Assault Referral Centres in the country.
“This is a holistic vehicle that provides an all-inclusive integrated service amongst MDAs to the survivors of SGBV.
“It is, therefore, critical, fundamental and essential in-service delivery to Survivors.
“The absence of SARC is akin to retraumising the survivors of SGBV, this is at the very core of my ministerial pursuit and I am seriously working on an Access to Justice based SARC which will evolve in due course,” he said. (NAN)
