Attah Sisters Helping Hand Foundation (ASHHF), an NGO, has trained 10 paralegals to tackle sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Bauchi.

Kingsley Yalling, ASHHF programme manager, disclosed this in an interview on Thursday in Bauchi.

Mr Yalling said the training was in partnership with the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and supported by ActionAid Nigeria under its Women Voice Livelihood (WVL-N) Project in Bauchi.

“In our bid to tackle gender-based violence and promote peace in Bauchi, we decided to train these paralegals to further sensitises people in the communities on the dangers of SGBV. The 10 participants are purely women and drawn from different communities in the state,” the ASHHF official stated.

He added, “This will bring positive change to communities and succour to victims or survivors of all forms of violence in the state.”

The programme manager said that the participants were trained in creating awareness of the dangers of SGBV and harmful traditional practices.

Mr Yalling, who decried the spate of the culture of silence among survivors of violence, said that the trainees would move into communities to further educate people on ways to seek help when anyone violates their rights.

He explained that the foundation established the Community Paralegal System in Bauchi at the end of the two-day exercise. The participants were also taught how to conduct legal clinics, capacity-building in communities, conflict resolution, and counselling.

Mr Yalling advised Bauchi residents to support the paralegals toward a violence-free community. He added that paralegals would work with solicitors and chartered legal executives to discharge their community duties.

(NAN)