Sokoto: Foundation Sensitises Nursing Students On GBV, Discourages Silence

A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), the Sultan Foundation for Peace and Development (SFPD), on Wednesday held a sensitisation session for students of the Sokoto State School of Nursing Science about Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and harmful practices.

During the one-day program in Sokoto, Alhaji Musa Galadanci, the foundation’s Programme Officer, emphasised the importance of students speaking out and being courageous.

According to Galadanci, the sensitisation was supported by the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative Project and was intended to encourage students to report GBV incidents.

The Programme Officer also stressed the significance of understanding Sexual andGender-Basedd Violence (SGBV), Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAAP) Law.

He identified that the culture of silence and compromise were great challenges in addressing the GBV problem in communities, as anyone who stays silent or does not report the perpetrator indirectly promotes the issue.

He added that the campaign aimed to offer an opportunity to discuss methods to decrease violence against women and girls and obtain insights from various communities.

The Lead Resource Person, Rashida Muhammad, a legal practitioner, gave a lecture on different categories of GBV, prevalence, consequences, policies, laws, and referral pathways.

Muhammad concentrated on the discriminatory behaviour against females in social norms and actions that negatively affect women and girls, especially in education.

The facilitator shared experiences and thoughts on measures to reduce violence against women and girls by drawing insight from various communities.

Malam Bashir Bala, who represented the school principal, commended the foundation for its efforts to educate Nigerians about GBV and encouraged students to speak out and support measures that can reduce the issue in all forms.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the exercise included a question and answer session, as well as experience-sharing among students and presenters.