The Bauchi government has launched a two-day training programme on gender-based violence for secondary school students.

Aliyu Ahmed, the monitoring and evaluation officer at the Bauchi State Ministry  of Women Affairs and Child Development, said on Wednesday that the training aimed to sensitise participants to the dangers of GBV.

Mr Ahmed said that the training would pave the way for the inauguration of secondary school-based GBV clubs in Bauchi.

He said that the programme focused on established protocols on referral pathways and principles of handling GBV survivors.

The official said that the training was organised by the Ministry of Women Affairs in Partnership with the Bauchi State High Court and the Ikra Foundation for Women and Youth Development.

“We brought together students from private and public schools for the pilot establishment of the clubs. We also involved students from special schools.

“This is a pilot programme; it is our hope that the participants will go back and share the knowledge they have acquired.

“The participating schools will also establish GBV clubs; the long-term plan is to scale up this programme across the state,” he said.

Fatima Abdullahi, a director at the Ministry of Women Affairs, said that the students would be trained to become anti-GBV campaign ambassadors in their respective schools.

Ms Abdullahi described GBV as a phenomenon that had affected people of different genders, ages, and religions.

She said that the clubs would be established in partnership with the Ministry of Education in order to achieve set objectives. 

(NAN)