DRPC Trains 40 Religious Leaders on Gender-Based Violence Prevention

The Development Research and Projects Centre (DRPC), a Nigerian non-profit organization, has organized a two-day training for 40 Imams and Muslim Opinion Leaders (MOLs) from Kaduna and Kano States.

The training, which is in collaboration with the Ford Foundation West Africa office aims to strengthen the role of the religious leaders in advocating against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) across Northern Nigeria.

The project coordinator, Ahmad Abdullahi, explained that this initiative leverages the influence and authority of religious leaders to address GBV by encouraging these leaders to communicate, model, and advocate for change in their communities.

He emphasizes that MOLs are instrumental in shaping public opinion and can use Islamic teachings to challenge cultural norms that contribute to violence against women and girl child.

According to him “Through this initiative, we engage MOLs as advocates for GBV prevention, empowering them to use Islamic teachings to counter harmful cultural practices.”

As part of their training, participants recently took part in a Peer-to-Peer Study Tour in Egypt, interacting with prominent Islamic institutions, including Al-Azhar and the Grand Mufti.

Abdullahi added that insights gained from these engagements will be passed on to the Friday Mosque Imams through the step-down training workshop, equipping them to educate their communities on Islamic principles that protect women and girls from harm.

He said, “Our goal is to provide these Imams with knowledge from Islamic principles that advocate against violence towards women and girls and strengthen their capacity to integrate these teachings into their sermon.”

On his part, Kano State Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Ahmad Auwalu, noted that the initiative also emphasizes Islamic perspectives on preventing GBV, with a focus on protecting women and children from various forms of abuse, including sexual, domestic, and psychological violence.

He acknowledged that the forty selected Iman for the training were from rural areas, where awareness about women’s rights is often limited.

According to Auwal “Women have faced neglect and abuse, and have been denied educational opportunities.
“The trained Imams will now have the capacity to spread this message across the region, educating both their communities and fellow Imams.”

While highlighting the misconceptions about Islam that have led to the misinterpretation of the faith as favoring men over women, he expressed optimism that the training would help the Imams promote a better understanding of the rights of women and children.

Additionally, the Director of the Centre for Islamic Civilization and Interfaith Dialogue, Bayero University, Kano, Dr.Toafik Hussain also shared that the university has signed an MoU with DRPC to further advance GBV prevention goals.

He noted that the center, as an Islamic institution, will work to enhance the capacity of religious leaders and foster a deeper understanding of GBV from both contemporary and Islamic perspectives.