SGVB forms 80% of reported human rights cases

At least 80 per cent of human rights violations reported in Benue State in the past year are cases related to Sexual, Gender Based Violence (SGBV), Daily Trust Saturday has gathered.

State Coordinator of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Barrister Joshua Tyoyer, made this known during a panel discussion organised by Lawyers Alert in Makurdi to mark this year’s International Human Rights Day.

He said, “80 percent of the 350 cases on human rights violations received this year (2022) alone by the Commission in Benue are based on SGBV.

“There were many cases of rape which we referred to the police for criminal prosecution. It actually indicated an increase of SGBV which calls for concerns,” he said.

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Tyoyer urged citizens to secure social contracts with all their representatives in government offices for them to make laws or strengthen existing ones to deter perpetrators of human rights abuses.

Earlier, the Lawyers Alert Consultant, Rommy Mom, in his opening remark, explained that they organised the panel discussion as part of this year’s 16-day of activism against Gender-Based Violence.