Stakeholders Renew Commitment To Combat SGBV In Anambra, Push Awareness On Offenders Register

Stakeholder and key actors in the fight against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), in Anambra State have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening coordination, improving data collection, and promoting the use of the Sexual Offenders Register as a critical tool in tackling SGBV.

They reaffirmed their commitment to the course at the third quarterly meeting of the Service Providers Accountability Resource Committee (SPARC) held at the ministry of Justice, Awka.

In her welcome address, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Professor Sylvia Ifemeje, noted that the meeting was to review progress and strengthen coordination efforts, with a renewed call for greater use of the Sexual Offenders Register.

The attorney General, who was represented by barrister Chisom Anyaenem of the Ministry of Justice, emphasized the importance of case reporting and data tracking, noting that there is a developing public interest in the Sexual Offenders Register, hence the need for increased awareness.

In her opening remarks, the Anambra State Coordinator of the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (RoLAC) Programme, Dr. Josephine Onah, said the sex Offenders Register is a project, implemented by its grantee, HADIS Foundation under its thematic area of enhancing access to justice for women and people with disabilities.

Onah explained that the RoLAC programme Phase 2 is funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA).

She reiterated the importance of continued awareness on the sex offenders register and synergistic collaboration among stakeholders — including SPARC, HIMAT, CSOs, and government agencies for more

Giving an update on their activities, the State Coordinator of SPARC and Director of Davina Care Foundation, Yohanna Rachel, reported notable improvements in data entry into the Sexual Offenders Register — increasing from 90 in July to 132 entries as of September 2025.

She attributed this to enhanced cooperation with law enforcement and other partners, facilitated by RoLAC.

Inspite of the progress made in case reporting, data entry and better working relationship with the Special Crimes Investigation Department (SCID) of the police Awka, Yohanna noted that some other challenges still exist and consequently called for increased access to educational institutions for awareness campaigns.

During the meetings several other stakeholders shared their experiences in the course of their field activities and agreed on the need for constant sensitization on the existence of sexual offenders registers, as a tool of fighting Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.

On his part, Innocent Jonah Kalu, Programme Officer of Hadis Foundation, urged stakeholders to support the national register by reporting cases through official channels and called for more public education.

He urged the public to use the Sexual Offenders Register, which is available at www.nsod.naptip.gov.ng

in vetting people for employment and other purposes.