The Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Binta Adamu Bello, has charged journalists to intensify the fight against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), urging them to deploy their platforms to promote prevention, justice and support for survivors.
Bello gave the charge in a welcome address delivered on her behalf by NAPTIP’s Head of Press and Public Relations Unit, Vincent Adekoye, at the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Media Corps Workshop organised by NAPTIP and implemented by International IDEA with funding from European Union.
Describing the intervention as a landmark and noble initiative, Bello expressed NAPTIP’s appreciation to the European Union for its support towards efforts to end SGBV in Nigeria.
She said the agency was concerned about the rising cases of SGBV in the country, adding that NAPTIP had continued to strengthen advocacy, networking and the implementation of relevant laws to combat the menace.
According to her, the training was designed to establish a dedicated Media Corps committed to reporting SGBV and raising public awareness about the scourge.
She urged participating journalists to take ownership of the campaign, stressing that the media had a critical role to play in shaping public discourse and driving social change.
Bello disclosed that since the coming into force of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, NAPTIP had secured more than 40 convictions in SGBV-related cases, including three life imprisonment sentences for rape.
She assured that the agency would not relent in its efforts to ensure that perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence were brought to justice.
Also speaking, the Civil Society and Community Mobilisation Specialist of the ESGBV Programme at International IDEA, Wynyfred Achu-Egbuson, said the training was aimed at strengthening community-level information-sharing structures for SGBV prevention and response.
She said the programme would also address emerging challenges, including technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TF-SGBV), across the FCT, Benue, Kaduna and Oyo states.
Achu-Egbuson described the role of journalists in the campaign as a major responsibility and urged participants to give their best to the initiative.
She assured them of continued training and support to enhance their capacity to report SGBV professionally, ethically and responsibly.
In a goodwill message, the Director-General of Radio Benue, Dr. Terseer Mnzughulga, described the fight against SGBV as a noble cause that must be pursued holistically.
Mnzughulga said tackling the menace required taking the campaign to the grassroots and involving religious, traditional and community leaders.
He challenged journalists to devote greater attention to SGBV, noting that the media had a significant role in educating the public, exposing harmful practices and promoting prevention.
“SGBV is one of the issues journalists must devote their time to,” he said, stressing the need for sustained and responsible reporting.
The ESGBV Programme seeks to strengthen the prevention of and response to sexual and gender-based violence by supporting stronger legal and policy frameworks, expanding access to survivor-centred services and promoting positive social norm change across its implementation states.
The organisers said the workshop was also designed to shift SGBV reporting away from sensationalism and fragmented coverage towards professional, ethical, survivor-centred, evidence-based and action-oriented journalism.
Such reporting, they said, would help promote prevention, improve access to trusted information, strengthen referral pathways for survivors and contribute to lasting positive social change.
