The Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiative (PCNI) has taken a drastic measure to stop rape and spread of the Human Immune Virus (HIV) in Internally Displaced Persons’ Camp.
Alhaji Tijanni Tumsah, Vice Chairman, PCNI in a monthly review meeting with stakeholders and development partners in the North-East, said the committee was relentless in its move.
The meeting for the month of October had as its theme: “Transitioning from humanitarian dependence to economic recovery and sustenance.
Tumsah said that the committee has taken very seriously the crime of rape which has further led to the spread of HIV in the camps.
According to him, a good numbers of the perpetuators of the crime have been apprehended adding that they would be severely punished to serve as deterrent to others.
Tumsah said that protection of displaced persons remained a priority for the committee while working to create better source of livelihood away from humanitarian dependence.
“What we are doing is to bring the North East back to s footing, better than it was before.
“The National Assembly raised concerns and we have raised the same concerns with relevant partners over the protection plans for the IDPs, particularly in camps.
“We are doing this in conjunction with the state governments and also the necessary authorities that are supposed to provide them with protection.
“Rape is a very unfortunate incident just like the spread of HIV and what we are doing is to create stringent and immediate punishment for perpetuators of the crimes” Tumsah said.
Tumsah said that the monthly forum is a continuous engagement forum where issues that are relevant to the North East are discussed and solutions proffered to addressing the many challenges.
He said that the forum was created to have all partners playing in the North East come together to discuss the issues under various sectors.
The PCNI Vice Chairman said that the challenges have been substantially addressed through its mapping strategies and advice to developing partners to reach where ordinarily they couldn’t have.
Tumsah said that more money was however required in rebuilding the North-East to a position better than it was before the insurgency.
Also speaking, Dr Sidi Mohammed, of the PCNI said that the major challenge in the health sector was that of human resource.
According to him, the most affected victims at the beginning of the insurgency were health workers adding that it had affected the zeal of people engaging in the sector.
“A lot of people have come up to provide assistance in rebuilding health facilities but the challenge now is that the health workers to work in those facilities are not there.
“If you need to reduce maternal mortality, the group if health workers you need are the midwives, we need to get them into the rebuilt facilities”, Mohammed said.
Mohammed said that the Committee was already developing a humanitarian response plan for 2018 and 2019 which aptly captured the measures that can end rape and spread of HIV.
