By Danjuma Attah, Gombe
Open Knowledge Development Initiative (OKDI) has called for urgent action to protect school girls against gender based violence in Gombe.
Project Director of ‘AMPLIFYHER’, OKDI, Zainab Abdulfattah, made the call during a press conference to unveil the GBV prevention and response framework. She stressed the need for urgent action to be taken to safeguard school girls in Gombe State
Gender Based Violence (GBV) particularly, sexual assault and molestation of minors, has been on the increase in the State, putting Gombe State on the spotlight over the prevalence of the crime.
In her address before unveiling the GBV Prevention and Response Framework, Zainab Abdulfattah, noted that they are not only presenting a document, but “we are making a bold statement that gender based violence, particularly in schools and communities, must no longer be tolerated”.
She explained that the GBV Prevention and Response Framework is a tool for action which provides a structured approach for training young girls on their rights and how to report GBV cases, guiding teachers and school administrators on handling GBV cases responsibly and sensitively.
Others points in the framework policy document include, engaging parents and communities in preventive measures, strengthening advocacy for policy reforms to address GBV in schools.
According to her, with the AmplifyHer project, supported by Plan International Nigeria, the OKDI has worked tirelessly to empower girls in Gombe State to recognise challenge, and prevent GBV.
She said, “through stakeholder engagements, workshops, digital advocacy training, and the establishment of gender clubs, we have witnessed firsthand the urgent need for more systematic and institutionalised interventions to protect young girls from violence”.
She lamented the situation where schools are no longer secure environment for learning and growth but instead, has turned into abodes where many girls experience harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of gender based abuse.
She also pointed out that it had caused long lasting consequences such as high dropout rates, mental and emotional trauma, lower academics performance, economic and social disadvantages as well as weakened society and development.
“It is unacceptable that many cases of GBV in schools go unreported or unpublished due to stigma, fear or lack of institutional mechanism to address them.
“The absence of clear policies and accountability structures allows perpetrators, whether fellow students, teachers, or community members to continue their abuses unchecked”, she pointed out.
She called on Government, policy makers and educational institutions to enact and enforce a national policy on safeguarding girls in schools, integrate GBV prevention into the school curriculum and strengthen enforcement of laws against GBV.
End.
