The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has supported the Sokoto State Government to train 300 teachers, Islamic scholars and commercial motorcycle riders on handling and referral of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) cases to hospitals.

Habiba Ahmad, Director, Women in the state’s Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, made this known in an interview in Sokoto on Sunday.

She said that the trained teachers are Guidance and Counselling officers from selected schools, expected to serve as GBV desk officers that would sensitise students and co-teachers in their respective schools.

She said participants were drawn from secondary schools under the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and the Sokoto State Female Education Board, adding that the training was on GBV Management and Referral Pathways.

She further explained that the Islamic scholars who got the training are Jummu’at Mosque Imams, along with commercial motorcyclists, drawn from the six local government areas under the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative project.

She said that the effort was to curb the challenge of discriminatory behaviour against the female gender in social norms.

She added that the training also exposed the negative impact of actions detrimental to women and girls, especially in educational pursuit and accessing health services.

The UNFPA Programme Officer in Sokoto State, Gloria Eneuze, also said the training was to encourage community groups to safeguard girl students from GBV.

Eneuze said the collaborative efforts had yielded positive results.

(NAN)