A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Thamani for Women and Youth Development Initiative, has urged the Bauchi State Government and the state House of Assembly to strengthen laws and institutional frameworks to improve the prevention and response to gender-based violence (GBV).

The organisation made the call on Thursday in Bauchi at the end of a policy roundtable entitled “From Community Voices to Legislative Action: Strengthening Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response in Bauchi State.”

The roundtable was organised under the #HerVoice Project supported by Urgent Action Fund–Africa (UAF-Africa).

The Programme Coordinator of the organisation, Nicholas Oshojah-Afeso, said the dialogue was informed by months of community engagements with women leaders, service providers and other stakeholders in the Dass Local Government Area of the state.

He said the engagements produced an evidence-based policy brief containing recommendations to strengthen GBV prevention and response across the state.

Mr Oshojah-Afeso described GBV as a public health concern, a development challenge and a barrier to justice and inclusive growth, rather than a private family matter.

He said that women and girls continued to face domestic violence, sexual violence, forced marriage and economic abuse, while many survivors remained silent because of fear, stigma and social pressure.

According to him, survivors who seek help often encounter delays in accessing healthcare, justice and psychosocial support due to weak referral systems and limited institutional capacity.

The coordinator said GBV contributed to poor maternal and reproductive health outcomes, increased vulnerability to infectious diseases, disrupted children’s education, weakened livelihoods and slowed community development.

He explained that stakeholders at the roundtable had reached a consensus on key priority actions to include strengthening survivor-centred response systems through improved access to healthcare, legal services, psychosocial support and coordinated referral mechanisms.

He added, “We also called for training of frontline health workers to identify, support and appropriately refer survivors, particularly in underserved communities.”

The programme coordinator stressed the need to empower women leaders, traditional and religious institutions, fathers’ forums and civil society organisations to challenge harmful social norms.

“The community structures should also be trained on support for survivors and encourage timely reporting of GBV cases,” he said.

He urged the Bauchi State House of Assembly to consider the recommendations contained in the policy brief and work with the executive arm of government to strengthen legal and institutional responses to GBV.

He urged ministries, departments and agencies to improve collaboration, strengthen service delivery and ensure survivors got justice in the state.

He further urged the Ministry of Education, the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), tertiary institution governing councils and school administrators to institutionalise GBV prevention.

“The education sector, including governing councils, should institutionalise GBV prevention through policies, awareness, reporting mechanisms and the integration of prevention and respectful relationships into school curricula,” he added.

He appealed to traditional and religious leaders to continue promoting values that uphold the dignity of women and girls, while discouraging harmful practices without compromising justice for survivors.

He urged civil society organisations, development partners and the media to sustain advocacy, promote ethical reporting and amplify survivor voices to combat silence and stigma surrounding GBV.

Mr Oshojah-Afeso expressed optimism that translating community voices into practical policy actions would help to build a Bauchi State where women and girls live free from violence and survivors receive the support they deserve. 

(NAN)