On the 24th of September 2014 a multi-agency network day, which comprised all of the justice institutions in Enugu, was held in the state.
This network was set up to establish a linkage between the police, non-governmental organisations and governmental Minis-tries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that provide support services to the victims of gender based violence (GBV). The aim was to ensure that victims of GBV receive holistic support.
Forty NGOs, trained police officers, representatives of the Tamar Sexual Assault Referral Centre and the Ministry of Gender Affairs were in attendance. Participants introduced their organisations and highlighted the services they provide. This created mutual understanding and awareness on the range of services available and the providers in the state.
For some participants, it was their first meeting with police officers and gov-ernment agencies. The action based learning exercise amongst members em-phasized and established the benefits of ‘working together’ to resolve identi-fied problems.
A directory of support services available in the state has now been compiled and made available in all the Juvenile Welfare Centres (JWC) in the Model Police Stations (MPS).
The event also created the opportunity to sensitize citizens of the state on the newly improved JWC practices in the designated MPS sites.