Gender-based Violence: GAT, Amplify Change Float Awakening Campaign In 3 Kaduna LGs

As part of deliberate strategies to address the issue of gender-based violence (GBV) in Kaduna State, a Kaduna-based non-governmental organisation, Gender Awareness Trust (GAT) with support from Amplify Change is currently implementing an awakening programme in three Kaduna local government areas.

GAT has been a leading non-governmental organisation working around GBV and also instrumental to Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) (VAPP) law recently passed by Kaduna State House of Assembly.

The project, titled Stigma Reduction and Economic Empowerment of Women and Girls Survivors of Gender Based Violence, aiming at contributing to the advancement of the health, economic and social wellbeing of women and girls survivors of GBV is being implemented in Soba, Kaduna South and Zango Kataf local government areas of Kaduna State.

The project is also aimed at challenging stigma, discriminatory attitudes and practices affecting women and girl survivors of GBV in the three aforementioned LGAs. 

GAT had carried out awareness campaigns in Soba, Kaduna south and Zangon Kataf on GBV to sensitize the community members on the effect of GBV especially, on women and girls and the need to speak out when they receive or see one.

Adding her voice to the development, Programme Officer, Sophie Akut said, the awareness campaign was in line with the objective of the entire project which was towards preventing the prevalence of GBV and also to break the culture of silence when these acts of violence occur, especially among women and girls survivors. According to this gender expert “women and girls need to speak out when violated in order to get justice for them and get the perpetrator penalised.

“Community members also need to speak out when they witness such violence done to their neighbors, relatives or friends.

“Everyone needs to join hands to ensure that GBV stops or at least, reduced drastically in our society so we can make inpactful progress collectively.

“This campaign is also a call on everyone to contribute their efforts towards preventing GBV in the communities. This is important and like I said, when there is peace, we prosper,”she maintained.