Cross River recorded 586 occurrences of gender-based violence between January and October, according to Mrs Edema Irom, Commissioner for Women Affairs, in Calabar on Saturday.
She told a news conference to kick off 16 days of protest against GBV that the statistic only included instances reported to the government.
Irom stated that the ministry was putting institutions in place in the state’s 18 local government areas in partnership with Non-Governmental Organizations to report GBV instances in real time in order to combat the epidemic.
“We have a Technical Working Group with members drawn from the ministry and from the NGOs to find a way around the issue.
“The TWG meets quarterly to review efforts put in place to address the issue,” she said.
She explained that the 16-day activism aimed at creating awareness of the menace and honouring those who fought and paid the ultimate price to end violence against women and girls the world over.
“The 16 Days of Activism is an annual event which begins on November 25 and ends on December 10.
“It was set aside by the UN to commemorate the brutal murder of 16 women from the Dominican Republic who were killed for their activism against gender-based violence.
“The activism also commemorates the World Day for HIV prevention on Dec. 1; the International Day for Persons with Disability on December 3 and the International Human Rights Day which holds on December 10,” she said.
In his remarks, Mr Remi Ajuga of the National Human Rights Commission noted that gender-based violence constituted a major plank among issues handled by the Commission.
“With the activism which begins today, we have started the journey to end the menace,’’ Ajuga said.
NAN