By Bashir Bello

KANO — The development Research and Project Center, dRPC has called on Imams and Muslim opinion leaders to preach against Gender Based Violence, GBV during their Ramadan Tafsir and Friday sermons in order to reduce the menace.

The dRPC Senior Program Associate, Bar. Umar Ahmed Umar made the call during a one day training it organized for the imams and Muslim opinion leaders in collaboration with Centre for Islamic Civilization and Interfaith Dialogue (CICID), Bayero University, Kano, BUK.

Bar. Umar emphasized on the role the religious leaders play in shaping community beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, hence the need to involve them in the fight against GBV and the need to protect women and children from all forms of violence.

According to him, “The development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC), is actively engaging Muslim Opinion Leaders (MOLs) to strengthen their capacity to communicate, advocate for, and model change in preventing Gender-Based Violence (GBV).The MOLs for GBV Prevention Project is an initiative designed to address GBV in Northern Nigeria by leveraging the influence and authority of religious leaders.

“Recognizing that religious leaders, particularly MOLs, hold significant sway in shaping community beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, this project seeks to empower them as advocates for GBV prevention. Through Islamic teachings, they will challenge harmful cultural norms and practices that perpetuate violence against women and girls.

“The sensitization aims to equip Friday Mosque Imams/Mufassiroon with the knowledge and tools needed to educate and guide their communities on the Islamic perspective on GBV and emphasize the need to protect women and children from all forms of violence during Ramdaan sessions. Additionally, it seeks to update Friday Mosque Imams on the rising incidence of GBV.

“Ramadan is a period of increased religious gatherings, tafsir sessions, and deep reflection. We see this as a strategic opportunity to spread awareness on gender-based violence and reinforce the protection of women and girls in our communities,” Bar. Umar said.

The Head of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence at NAPTIP’s Kano Zonal Command, Rashida Aminu highlighted the persistent challenge of GBV in the state. While acknowledging that GBV is a global issue, she emphasized the need for localized solutions to combat its prevalence in Kano.

She also noted that religious scholars (Ulamas) have a huge role to play in eradicating gender-based violence.

Earlier, the Director of CICID, Associate Prof. Taufiq Abubakar said the training was to equip the religious leaders to understand the religious perspective of GBV towards helping them dessiminate the messages on GBV while conducting their Tafsir and Friday sermons among others.

Meanwhile, religious leaders, government officials, and civil society organizations at the event reiterated their readiness to join hands towards addressing GBV in Kano State.