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Sokoto State Government has urged community and religious leaders to support the campaign against Gender Based Violence (GBV) across the state.
The Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji, made the call during a 2-day high level capacity building workshop for religious and traditional leaders on GBV prevention.
The exercise was organized Aug. 4, 2025 by Sokoto state ministry of Women and. Children Affairs in collaboration with UN Women in Sokoto State.
Alhaji, said the workshop was strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration, enhance reporting mechanisms, and promote coordinated strategies to combat GBV in the state.
Hauwa Umar Jabo, The Director Women Affairs said the exercise was also to enhance stakeholders from government ministries, law enforcement, civil society, traditional and religious institutions, and development partners.
The Facilitator, Malam Rabiu Bello-Gandi dwelled on the types, forms, and consequences of GBV emphasising the need for stakeholders’ to echor the sensitizations in mosques, community gatherings, and public forums.
Bello-Gandi stressed that participants should also build the capacity and educate others on GBV definitions, forms, consequences, and reporting protocols.
According to him, participants needed to develop a community-level sensitization and advocacy strategies, fostering inter-agency collaboration for prevention, protection, prosecution and promote best practices in GBV response.
A Director from Ministry of Justice, Mrs Aisha Abdullahi, reassured the ministry’s commitment to prosecuting all perpetrators referred to them until convictions were secured.
Hajiya Lami from Ministry of Education, emphasized the need for prevention as a core mandate and highlighted the ministry’s role in reporting GBV cases, stressing the need for enhanced sensitization and coordination.
A cross section of stakeholders expressed commitments to provide medical care, psychosocial support (PSS), and other prevention and response mechanisms.
The event was attended by traditional and Religious leaders, officials from Ministries of Religious Affairs, Budget, Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), UNFPA and others.
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