The Kaduna State government says 25 gender-based violence (GBV) perpetrators have been sentenced to death as part of efforts to curb the menace.

The Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Rabi Salisu, disclosed this in Kaduna while receiving a delegation from the Muslim Opinion Leaders for the Prevention of Gender-Based Violence in Northern Nigeria Project.

The project is being anchored by the Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) with support from the Ford Foundation.

Ms Salisu also announced that arrangements have been concluded to empower 15,000 women across the state with N5 billion under the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Fund.

She said the initiative was in line with the implementation of the Kaduna State Women’s Economic Empowerment Policy, launched in December 2024 by Governor Uba Sani.

According to the commissioner, the beneficiaries were drawn from all 23 local government areas and include members of 750 women’s cooperatives identified for the empowerment programme.

“I am happy to inform you that His Excellency has fulfilled his commitment.

“The N5 billion approved in November 2024 has been captured in the 2025 budget and will soon be disbursed to the targeted cooperatives,” she said.

Ms Salisu said that in addition to the new beneficiaries, over 5,000 women and girls had earlier benefitted from the Google Africa-supported data science, artificial intelligence, and entrepreneurship training programme targeted at semi-urban and rural communities.

She stressed that the state’s strategy to reduce GBV was strongly linked to economic empowerment, education, and inclusion of women in governance and development processes.

“We are tackling the intersectionality between gender-based violence and economic inequality through education, healthcare delivery, social protection, and inclusive leadership,” she said.

Ms Salisu also disclosed that a technical working group, comprising representatives from legal, empowerment, education, and social thematic areas, had been established to coordinate efforts in addressing GBV in the state.

She revealed plans by the ministry to develop a GBV database to track cases, ensure timely intervention, and support the rehabilitation of survivors.

Earlier, the coordinator of the Muslim Opinion Leaders (MOLs) Project, Taufiq Hussain, said the team was in Kaduna to assess the status of the WEE policy implementation and explore areas of collaboration to integrate GBV prevention strategies.

(NAN)