NCD Opens Desk Office on Gender Based Violence

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By Lucky Isibor


The New Apostolic Centre for Development (NCD), a Faith Based Organisation (FBO), and an arm of the New Apostolic Church has set up a desk office to handle Sexual and Gender Based Violence (GBV) referral issues. The desk office which is working closely with the Edo State Sexual Assault Referral Centre (Vivian Centre) established by the Edo State government to manage issues of sexual and gender based violence, is also handling cases of human trafficking. 

Group photograph of participants at the project close out press briefing

This was disclosed to newsmen Tuesday, 29 November at a press briefing by a member of the board of trustees of the Apostolic Centre for Development, Victor Oriakhi on the project close out of the "NCD Preventing Trafficking in Persons and Responding to Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Edo State" project which NCD has been implementing since June this year.

Oriakhi, while stating that the project has achieved the purpose for which it was set up, disclosed that more victims of gender based violence (GBV) are now assessing the Edo State Sexual Assault Referral Centre (Vivian Centre) to report GBV cases as a result of the agressive public enlightenment embarked on by NCD as part of the project implementation.

According to Oriakhi, "Record obtained from the Vivian Centre showed that the centre recorded more cases between June and November 2022  when NCD implemented the preventing human trafficking and responding to gender based violence in Edo State project. As at the time the project commenced in June 2022, the centre had received only about 600 cases since inception. But by November 24, 2022, the number of cases reported to the centre increased to 1079 and some of the victims confirmed that they knew about the centre from the radio programme. This shows that our training and public awareness initiatives got to the target audience. As we speak now, NCD’s radio jingle is still running on KU FM, Benin City, 7.56am and 4.56pm daily, till about early January 2023.

"The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has also confirmed to us that they now receive more cases in their office on daily bases due to increased awareness raising on issues of human trafficking through NDC’s programme and that of other stakeholders. According to NAPTIP, more people are now aware on the dangers and effect of human trafficking and that if they must migrate, the public now have information as to where to get vital information on how to travel right." 

Oriakhi also disclosed that the establishment of the GBV desk office was part of the outcome of the NCD's two day workshop on preventing human trafficking and responding to gender based violence in Edo State held between August 31 and September 1, 2022.

"NCD has now set up a desk office to handle sexual and gender based violence referral issues. The office is working closely with the Vivian Centre established by Edo State government to manage issues of sexual and gender based violence. This was a major outcome of NCD’s two day workshop on preventing human trafficking and responding to gender based violence in Edo State, held in Benin City from August 31, 2022 to September 1, 2022. Till date, NCD has handled two cases, one of the case was referred to the Vivian Centre while the other one was referred to the Edo State Ministry of Justice. 

"Our anti-trafficking and GBV response messages have reached millions of people in Edo State and other parts of the world. This we were able to achieve through our radio programme, media reports, podcast and social media campaign." 


NCD Preventing "Trafficking in Persons and Responding to Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Edo State" project, which NCD has been implementing since June 2022, is part of the European Union Agents for Citizens-Driven Transformation (EU-ACT) programme funded by the European Union and implemented by the British Council.

While thanking the British Council for making it possible for NCD to receive mentorship and funding for the project through the EU-ACT programme, Oriakhi encouraged members of the public to report cases of gender based violence and trafficking in persons to the NCD GBV desk as the office is opened Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.

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