K8 million used for GBV plans

By REBECCA KUKU
A GENDER-based violence (GBV) funding of almost K8 million was used to support civil society organisations (CSOs), provincial and district referral pathways and provide grants for the 22 provinces to draw their strategies, says Department of Community Development, Youth and Religion secretary Jerry Ubase.
Ubase clarified that the department did not fund other government departments like the police family and sexual violence units (FSVU), Family Support Centres (FSCs) or school awareness programmes, as they had their own funding.
“We put in our budget with our plans and activities so the K7.9 million was used for the plans and activities that we had budgeted for, which included funding the CSOs, funding the provincial and district referral pathways and providing grants for all 22 provinces across the country, to draft their provincial GBV strategies,” he said
“FSVUs come under the police, their budget would be captured under the budget for police, FSCs comes under the Health Department and so their budget will come under those departments,
“As well as the school awareness programmes, their budget would be captured under the Education Department, so as much as possible we try to help and support the provinces, districts and the non-government organisations, as all government departments get their own funding.”
Ubase stated that he had considered spreading the funding out to all relevant agencies, “however, if we spread it very thinly to cater for everyone, none of us would be able to get anything done”.
“So we have to stick with the plan and activities we budgeted for,” he said.
Ubase wants all government stakeholders in the fight against GBV to submit a joint budget.
He said that it was time all relevant government organisations came together and submitted a joint plan and activities for gender-based violence nationwide under the Department of Community Development, Youth and Religion.
“The FSVUs, FSCs and the GBV awareness for schools should submit their budget, plans and activities so that we can capture it and request for a full GBV budget that covers everyone,” he said,
“This will also help to strengthen pathways and when we all work together and our plans and activities are in line with each other, we will be able to also better support the civil society organisations (CSOs) and the churches to fight against GBV.”
Ubase also wants relevant government departments that worked in the gender-based violence space, to work together.
“We already have the laws in place, what we need is to strengthen the enforcement of those laws,”he said.
“We need to build a strong pathway system so that along the pathway, from step to step, we work together and ensure to prosecute and hold perpetrators accountable.
“It’s time to take action, there must be action if we are to address GBV.”
Meanwhile, Ubase said that they will be revisiting the national gender-based violence strategy.
His department has been closed due to sewerage blockage issue, he said.
He said they had received permission from the Department of Personnel Management to work from home.
“We already have plumbers here, working, and hopefully, this will be sorted out so we can open the office again by next week.”