Campaign Status

New Campaign - Ongoing Online: The campaigns have been recently launched and, thus still in the process of collecting funds.

Summary

The campaign aims to engage key community members across 24 communities in 4 local government areas in Kaduna State, Nigeria, as Community-Based Action Volunteers (COMBAV) to raise awareness of gender-based violence, facilitate reporting to appropriate agencies, and empower survivors through training and education on prevention and legal instruments such as the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law.

Challenge

In Kaduna, Nigeria, statistics show that 8 out of 10 women and girls face one form of gender-based violence or another. This is largely attributed to poverty, a low level of education, and a lack of financial independence for married women and adolescent girls. Despite legal instruments in effect to punish offenders, the situation continues to worsen, especially in local communities, due to several factors: early marriage, poverty, and lack of awareness.

Many people are unaware of the provisions of the law that serve as deterrents for perpetrators or instruments of safety for survivors. The project seeks to drastically reduce the incidence of GBV through knowledge-sharing and empowerment programs.

Solution

The project aims to engage key community members in 24 communities across 4 local government areas in Kaduna State, Nigeria, as Community-Based Action Volunteers (COMBAV) to sensitize community members and report cases of gender-based violence to the appropriate agencies.

The community surveillance team will effectively raise awareness of what constitutes violence, the reporting process, and identify survivors who need empowerment based on specific criteria.

The Community-Based Action Volunteers will undergo training on preventing gender-based violence, with three sessions held to equip them with knowledge on gender-based violence and legal instruments like the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law. With the knowledge and skills acquired, the COMBAV team will raise awareness of GBV and the VAPP law in their communities, enlightening and informing community members about what constitutes GBV and the provisions of the law. Subsequently, this will serve as a deterrent to perpetrators, while victims will know how to report and find help, thereby breaking the culture of silence.

Volunteers equipped with knowledge of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP) will disseminate this information in their communities. As GBV often thrives due to ignorance, they will also monitor cases and report them to the appropriate authorities until justice is served, thereby deterring others from committing similar acts.