The Federal Ministry of Justice, with support from the European Union (EU) and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), has commenced the training of officials from key law enforcement, justice and child protection agencies to strengthen the prosecution of perpetrators of school-related gender-based violence (SR-GBV) across Nigeria.
The initiative is aimed at improving access to justice for child survivors of abuse and ensuring more effective prosecution of offenders as concerns mount over increasing cases of violence, exploitation and harassment within schools.
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Participants at the training include officials of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigeria Police Force, the Federal Ministries of Justice, Education and Women Affairs, as well as civil society organisations working on child protection.
The capacity-building programme, the First Training of Trainers on the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on the Legal Pathway for the Prosecution of Perpetrators of School-Related Gender-Based Violence, was held in Abuja on Tuesday.
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It was organised under the EU-funded Support to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (ESGBV) Programme, implemented by International IDEA in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Justice.
The Executive Director of Protect the Child Foundation, Elizabeth Achimugu, said the participants were expected to cascade the training to colleagues within their agencies, while future phases of the programme would target teachers, caregivers and other school personnel.
Training Module
Speaking at the workshop, the GBV Policy and Strategy Development Specialist for the ESGBV Programme, Melissa Omene, said the training was designed to address gaps in the implementation of the Standard Operating Procedures developed in 2024 by the Federal Ministries of Justice and Education to guide the reporting, referral, case management and prosecution of SR-GBV cases.
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Ms Omene said school-related gender-based violence remains a major challenge within Nigeria’s education system, with children exposed to sexual harassment, abuse, exploitation, bullying, corporal punishment and technology-facilitated violence.
“Strengthening the legal pathway for prosecution is also about reinforcing accountability. It sends a clear message that acts of violence, especially those affecting children in school settings, will not be tolerated, and that institutions are prepared to respond with professionalism and due process,” she said.
She explained that survivors often face long-term emotional, psychological and educational consequences, adding that girls and other vulnerable groups are disproportionately affected.
In her welcome address, the Head of the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Response Unit at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Yewande Gbola-Awopetu, said the training was intended to create a network of trainers within participating agencies who would, in turn, strengthen institutional responses to school-related violence.
Mrs Gbola-Awopetu described the SOP as a practical tool for ensuring accountability and coordination among agencies responsible for investigating and prosecuting offenders.
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“Today, we gather not merely as professionals representing different institutions, but as partners united by a common purpose: the protection of children and the preservation of safe learning environments across Nigeria,” she said.
The representative of the Federal Ministry of Education, Assistant Director Augustina Apakasa, said the ministry has distributed the SOP document to all 115 Federal Unity Schools nationwide and engaged school principals on its implementation.
Ms Apakasa emphasised the critical role of teachers and school administrators in identifying and reporting abuse cases.
“There is no effective way to end gender-based violence without training school personnel, because schools are among the primary places where such cases are experienced and reported,” she said.
About programme
Ms Omene said the EU-funded ESGBV Programme is a four-year initiative running from 2025 to 2029.
The programme seeks to strengthen the implementation of legal and policy frameworks, improve survivors’ access to quality services, and promote positive social norms to reduce gender-based violence in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the focal states of Benue, Oyo, and Kaduna.
She disclosed that suitable locations within hospitals in the FCT had already been identified for use as Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) and were undergoing assessment.
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