Rakiya A.Muhammad
Efforts toward tackling gender-based violence,GBV, have received a boost in Sokoto with the GBV prevention and response committees in female schools in the State.
Hajiya Fatima Ahmad Aliyu, the wife of the Governor of Sokoto State, inaugurated the committees during the opening ceremony of a three-day workshop on Teaching Ethics and Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response in Female Schools in Sokoto, held at Sultan Maccido Institute for Qur’an and General Studies.
“We are not unaware of the menace of gender-based violence meted particularly on our girls in female schools in the state,” she stated.
“This problem is lingering, and it is high time for us to do everything possible to stanch the preponderance of the ugly trend in our schools to respect the dignity of future mothers and provide an atmosphere for conducive learning in our schools, especially the secondary where our adolescent girls are attending.”
She reiterated the unwavering commitment of the present administration to supporting any effort aimed at enhancing the learning environments, particularly for girls in the state.
“Education is receiving much attention from the current administration in the state; it ranked the second in the 9 points smart agenda of my husband, His Excellency Dr. Ahmad Aliyu, FCNA, ” she pointed out.
Hajiya Fatima described the workshop as timely, noting that it took place at a time when society hoped to raise the standard of girls’ education and achieve moral reorientation and social and economic emancipation for girls and women.
She commended the State Government for funding the initiative and the Female Education Board for organizing the training for the benefit of the participants and the broader community.
The Governor’s wife emphasised the importance of training the beneficiaries to acquire the necessary skills, ethics, and strategies to avoid and respond to gender-based violence. She hoped that this would help preserve the education of girls.
Hajiya Halima Ibrahim, Special Adviser, Female Education Board, Sokoto State, expressed worry over how gender-based violence affects millions of women and girls globally, undermining their security, and sense of worth and leaving a lasting scar on victims, families, and communities.
She said the goal of the workshop on combating female gender-based violence in schools was to confront the ubiquitous and frequently concealed reality of violence that many girls have to deal with daily.
“Gender-based violence is not just a women’s issue- it is a human right, a public health issue, a societal issue and most importantly, a religious issue that affects every one of us,” asserted the Special Adviser.
The workshop, she said, aimed to illuminate the intricacies of gender-based violence in schools and provide stakeholders with tools and practical methods to apply in schools and other areas of influence.
“It is an opportunity to foster solidarity, to build networks of support and to reaffirm commitment to creating safe schools where every student can live free from violence, fear and oppression,” she added.
She was hopeful that the efforts would contribute to the creation of a society with zero tolerance for gender-based violence, where respect, equality, and justice are the norm.
Prof Mustapha Namaka Tukur, Executive Secretary of the Female Education Board, spoke on what informed the Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response initiative in the state.
“We have a preponderance of cases of gender-based violence at the school level where especially the female gender is being abused,” he disclosed
“We want to see how we can reduce these cases at least by 50 per cent before the end of this year.”
He explained:” The committees would serve as our representatives at the school level; whichever case is established, they are going to report it so that decisive action can be put in place.”
