The Kogi State Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) has begun training school principals and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) focal persons across the state to strengthen efforts to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment in schools.
The training, being held across the three senatorial districts, is designed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills required to prevent, identify, document and appropriately respond to cases of GBV and Sexual Exploitation and Abuse/Sexual Harassment (SEA/SH).
The initiative is also aimed at strengthening mechanisms for protecting students and promoting safe and inclusive learning environments in AGILE-supported schools.
Speaking during the training, the AGILE GBV Focal Person, Mr James Peter, said the programme was particularly important given the ongoing interventions in schools across the state.
Peter said AGILE’s focus on adolescent girls required school authorities and GBV focal persons to be adequately prepared to identify and address threats to their safety and wellbeing.
He said the training would enable participants to respond appropriately to cases rather than allow them to escalate.
“The purpose of this training, as you all know, is on sexual exploitation and abuse/sexual harassment and GBV. This project is centred on the girl child who is in your care in your various schools.
“We believe that with this type of project ongoing now, there is every tendency to have issues of sexual violence in your schools. That is why we want to equip you with the knowledge and skills to prevent and respond appropriately to such cases,” he said.
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Peter stressed the need for prompt reporting of GBV cases, urging focal persons not to conceal incidents or delay referring them to the appropriate authorities.
“Whenever there is a case, report it. Do not keep quiet. If you fail to report a GBV case, it may mean that you are shielding the person involved,” he cautioned.
A facilitator, Barrister Joy, urged school principals, counsellors and other stakeholders to maintain confidentiality when handling complaints of GBV.
She also encouraged participants to adopt a survivor-centred approach that protects the safety, dignity and wellbeing of survivors.
According to her, the training focused on established procedures for receiving, documenting and handling GBV complaints within school environments.
“The lecture is about receiving complaints and treating complaints of gender-based violence within school settings in Kogi State. We have here principals, parents and counsellors within various schools in Kogi Central.
“We talked about the best practices, how to maintain confidentiality in cases of gender-based violence and also how to adopt a survivor-centred approach in GBV interventions in their schools,” she said.
A participant from Okehi Local Government Area, Isa Nasiru, said the training had improved his understanding of how to respond to GBV cases in his school.
Nasiru said he had learnt the appropriate steps to take when a case was reported and the relevant authorities to contact for further intervention.
“I now know the steps to take before attending to GBV cases and the appropriate people to contact to address such cases,” he said.
Similarly, Mrs Gwatana Agnes of Government Secondary School, Agodo, in Bassa Local Government Area, said the training had equipped her with practical knowledge for handling GBV-related cases.
“Actually, I have gained a lot from this training. With the training I have received, I now know how to handle and resolve GBV cases in my school,” Agnes said.
A key feature of the training was the signing of a code of conduct by the participating school principals and GBV focal persons.
The participants pledged to uphold the principles of safety, confidentiality and accountability in dealing with GBV cases and other forms of sexual exploitation and harassment in their schools.
They described the training as timely, saying the knowledge gained would strengthen their capacity to prevent and respond to GBV and contribute to safer learning environments across the state.
