Centre parleys traditional, religious leaders over rising GBV

The African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD) has called for a new approach to address Gender-Based Violence (GBV) by engaging traditional and religious leaders across the country.

A Director of Centre LSD, Margaret Fagboyi, said this yesterday in Abuja, at the inception of the gender justice scale-up project.

She said the organisation provided a platform for Muslims, Christians, and traditional rulers to discuss how to promote and achieve gender justice in the country.

Fagboyi noted that the initiative, initially founded by Christian Aid in 2018, has expanded to include a broader coalition.

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“This global movement involves individuals, organizations, faith-based groups and communities working together to combat gender-based violence. The goal is to create a platform for traditional and religious leaders to discuss and reduce various forms of GBV, including rape, female genital mutilation, bullying, harassment and forced marriage. 

“We are collaborating with NGOs and following the Sustainable Development Goals’ mantra of ‘leave no one behind,” Fagboyi said.

Speaking on the Ford Foundation’s support, she noted the impacts of the efforts in Kano and Benue states. She said they conducted assessments and engaged stakeholders, including NAPTIP, human rights organizations, Hisbah, civil society organisations, CAN and Muslim associations to understand and address the violence.

The Centre LSD Executive Director, Mr Monday Osasah, said: “The side-by-side project, initiated in 2018, aims to deconstruct harmful notions of masculinity and advocate for a healthier understanding of what it means to be a man.”