By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin.

A Kwara State-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO,) Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI) has mobilised a statewide stakeholders’ forum against Gender-Based Violence (GBV,) noting that no society can truly prosper while half of its population lives in fear, and suffers in silence.

The Global Director of BBYDI, Hajia Nurah Sanni-Jimoh, yesterday in her welcome address to the attendees including traditional rulers across the 16 local governments at the state’s banquet hall, said the gathering was a bold step in the collective fight against what she described as one of the most pressing human rights violations.

Over the years, she said that,”we at Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI) have remained resolute in our commitment to combating GBV, ensuring that no survivor suffers in silence, and that communities take a stand against all forms of violence.

“Our efforts, particularly in Kwara State, have focused on advocacy, prevention, and strategic engagement with key stakeholders, many of whom are present in this hall today.”

Stating the huge support of the Ford Foundation, Nurah lamented that: “GBV remains a deep-rooted societal challenge that threatens the dignity, safety, and well-being of individuals, especially women and girls.”

She explained that for long, GBV has persisted under different guises in domestic abuse, sexual violence, harmful traditional practices, and even structural discrimination.

She added that,”as part of our commitment to protecting the rights of women and girls, we have actively advocated the domestication of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act in Kwara, Osun, and Niger States. To support this advocacy, we developed a compendium of Discriminatory laws and practices Against Women in Nigeria which provides information on the gaps in the existing laws regarding the rights of women.

“We also produced a fact-sheet on the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, and a policy brief highlighting the gaps and the way forward in the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, 2015.

“Additionally, we trained 25 #SaferNet Ambassadors on online safety, these ambassadors were subsequently deployed to secondary schools across kwara state to educate students and teachers on digital rights and internet safety,” she listed as part of the group’s many achievements.

She also hinted that the day’s programme was yet another significant step forward with the launch of GBV Advocacy Toolkit, designed to empower individuals, organizations, and policymakers with necessary knowledge and strategies to prevent and respond to GBV effectively.

She also recalled that,”since we launched our GBV prevention advocacy project last year, 2024, we have held a one-on-one engagement with all first-class traditional rulers across the three senatorial districts of kwara state, we convened GBV prevention workshops with high chiefs across the three senatorial districts, we produced and aired GBV prevention jingles in local languages across the three senatorial districts, and co-created GBV prevention messaging tailored to our community’s needs and demands. “

She added that”today, we are also launching a co-created GBV prevention toolkit, a vital resource for our collective fight against gender-based violence. To amplify survivors’ voices and challenge societal norms, we also produced storytelling videos to foster empathy and awareness.”

“Our resolve today is further strengthened by the fact that both the law and religion stand firmly against gender-based violence. Our faiths, be it Islam, Christianity or traditional practices, uphold the sanctity of human dignity, condemn oppression and injustice. There is no justification, culturally, religiously, or otherwise, for any act that diminishes the worth of another human being.

Similarly, laws like the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act criminalize various forms of GBV.”

She however appreciated the encouraging roles of the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari and the Late Balogun Ajikobi Alhaji Isiaka Yusuf in the action against GBV.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Oleyemi Oluwakemi represented by the Ministry’s Director Procurement Finance and Administration (P.F.A.) Akande Adenike urged encouragement for womenfolk and general condemnation of the violators of women’s rights.