The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) says it recorded 1,068 complaints in Plateau between January and October.

The state’s coordinator of NHRC, Kiyenpiya Mafuyai, disclosed this on Friday in Jos at a stakeholders’ dialogue and workshop on “Community-Level Intervention and Human Rights Protection against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Plateau,” organised by the commission.

The workshop was supported by the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme (RoLAC), funded by the European Union.

The coordinator said the complaints largely involved domestic violence, forced and child marriage, denial of female inheritance, harmful traditional practices, emotional abuse, child rape, defilement, and molestation.

She added that other complaints received included denial of access and custody, threats to life, illegal detention, police and military brutality, and defamation of character, among others.

Speaking at the event, Mantim Dala, the state coordinator of RoLAC, said the workshop was part of activities commemorating the 2025 16 Days of Activism.

He explained that the event aimed to tackle gender-based violence (GBV) and promote the rights of women and children in society.

“The key pillars of our programme are providing access to justice and supporting state institutions, citizens, and non-state actors to strengthen justice services for vulnerable and indigent persons.

“Vulnerable persons, as we define them, include children, women, persons with disabilities, and the poor.

“The key objective of our programme is to strengthen the application of the rule of law and human rights, as every law is enacted to address or protect certain human rights,” he said.

Mr Dala noted that the figures given by NHRC might not represent the actual number of GBV cases in the state and called on all stakeholders to ensure that all cases of abuse are reported.

He particularly urged relevant government agencies and institutions to ensure proper and regular collection of data on GBV and other forms of rights violations.

The workshop had participants from the education, health, and justice sectors; civil society organisations, the media; and other stakeholders.

(NAN)