Worried by the increasing cases of stigmatisation of survivors of gender-based violence in Niger State, the state Ministries of Humanitarian Affairs and the Ministry of Women Affairs have organised a on e-day workshop for over 40 government officials, security agencies and service providers on ways to tackle stigmatisation through religious perspective.

The one-day event, supported by the development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) in collaboration with the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), with support from the Ford Foundation, under the Muslim Opinion Leaders for the prevention of GBV in Northern Nigeria, is aimed at strengthening the capacities of GBV desk officers in the state’s humanitarian, women affairs, and security agencies on adopting religious teachings in preventing stigmatisation and rehabilitation of survivors in the state.

Declaring the workshop open, the Solicitor-General of Niger State, Mr. Mairo Muhammad Mann, described the intervention as a great opportunity to tackle the menace that has been bedevilling  survivors of GBV, who have been faced with the double victimisation of suffering from the violence they suffered for years in captivity, but also being stigmatised in their communities leading to many of them contemplating returning  to captivity than facing increasing victimisation in their communities.

She disclosed that the state government is determined to continue to provide a conducive environment for survivors through psycho-social support, empowerment and community integration.

She then commended the organisers for introducing the teaching of religion in tackling stigmatisation for the victims of abuses.

In his keynote address, the Chief Imam of Federal University of Technology, Minna, Dr Bashir Ahmad Yankuzo, described gender-based violence as a scourge that transcends religion, culture and geography.

He said it is a violation of human rights, a betrayal of trust and a distortion of the divine principles of compassion and justice that Islam and Christianity—and indeed all faiths—hold sacred.

“Today, we gather not only to condemn this evil but to reaffirm our collective duty—as people of faith—to uphold the dignity of survivors with mercy, justice and unwavering support. Let me emphatically state that: Islam places the sanctity of human life and dignity at the forefront of its teachings,” he said

Yankuzo added that this honour is not conditional—it is an inherent right granted to every human being, male or female. “The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) emphasized this in his Farewell Sermon: ‘O people! Your lives, your property, and your honour are sacred to one another’.

“When GBV occurs, it is not just a crime against an individual—it is a violation of divine decree. Our faith compels us to stand against oppression in all forms, particularly against the most vulnerable,” he added

In her address at the occasion, the state Amira of the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Hajiya Hauwa Kulu Abdullahi, charged the service providers, security agencies and government officials attending the workshop to open their minds and be ready to challenge assumptions, share knowledge and strengthen the collective capacities to work together to rid the society of the menace of stigmatising survivors of gender-based violence.

Earlier, the royal father of the day, Barayan Zazzau and the District Head of Kabula, Alhaji Muhammad Aliyu Yazid, said that the Suleja emirate and the entire traditional council of Niger State are behind any intervention for the victims of GBV in Nigeria, adding that as an institution close to the victims, they will continue to support any intervention that will reintegrate survivors back to their community.

“There is the need to continue to engage religious and traditional leaders to invest in reintegrating survivors of GBV in their communities through moral support, economic support, and through giving the needed care for the survivors to enable them get comforted and for them to put behind their horrible experiences while in captivity,” he added.

In his welcome address at the workshop, the Director of Partnership and Communication at the development Research and Projects Centre, Malam Hassan Aliyu Karofi, described the one-day workshop as a response to the recent rescue of the 27 women who have been in captivity for a long time and have returned with pregnancies and children.

He disclosed that the workshop will help in building the capacities of the participants to support survivors of gender-based violence in the state.

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