A combination of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have urged the Delta State Government to prioritise the issues of gender-based violence in its 2025 budget and beyond.

The Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) in collaboration with the Development Initiative for Community Impact (DICI) and members of the Delta Working Group?for the Implementation of Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP), Laws made the call in Warri.

Addressing newsmen on Friday, Dr Rachael Misan-Ruppee, the Executive Director of DICI expressed concern at the rate of violence against women and child in the society.

She, therefore, called on the state government to adopt a gender-responsive budgeting framework to close the gap between policy and practice to effectively address the menace which she described as global.

?Delta State government should increase the budget to end violence against women and child,? she said.

Misan-Ruppee said that a gender-responsive budgeting would ensure financial, material and technical resources were allocated strategically to address specific needs of the Sexual and Gender- Based Violence (SGBV) survivors in the state.

According to her, the responsive framework will integrate a gender perspective that would encompass, planning, resource allocation, programme implementation and impact assessment.

The executive director said that the whole essence was to ensure that limited resources were effectively utilised to achieve a maximum result.

?We appeal to the Delta House of Assembly to champion this course by increasing the budget allocation for SGBV prevention, response and prevention in state?s annual budget.

?The fight against SGBV is a fight for human rights, dignity and justice. The civil society organisations, the media, community leaders and private sector should support this initiative.

?There is urgent need to increase investment and allocate adequate resources to combat this pervasive challenge.

?That undermines social and economic development, limit human potential and perpetual cycle of violence and inequality.

?We must rise to this challenges by committing the necessary resources to build a society free of violence. Collaboration across all sectors is key to ending violence against women and child,? she said.

Misan-Ruppee said that SGBV required a multi-stakeholder and community-based approach to tackle its root causes.

She said that globally, violence against women and girls had far-reaching economic implications.

The executive director noted that the passage of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 was a milestone in providing a legal framework to address violence against the vulnerable group in the society.

Misan-Ruppee added that the Delta State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law 2020 marked a critical step towards localised solutions.

?However, the impact of these laws have been limited due to poor implementation mechanism, lack of coordination, insufficient enforcement capacity and inadequate funding,? she said.

Misan-Ruppee, however, noted that the SGBV had affected one in every three women in their life time.

According to her, in Nigeria, 7,349 cases of SGBV were reported with sexual and physical violence between January 2020 and July 2022, while Delta State recorded 800 in the same period.

Misan-Ruppee was flanked at the press briefing by Mrs Ayo Okotie, Executive Director NEFEROK Development Initiative, Mrs Otorme Jarikre, Executive Director, Victoria Jarikre Foundation, Mrs Ezon-Ebi Odumosu, member, NAWoJ, Delta chapter.