The Community Awareness and Development Initiative (CADI), an NGO, has commenced training of 200 Juma’at Mosque Imams on ways to address Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and other harmful practices in Sokoto State.
The Chief Executive and Founder of CADI, Alhaji Sani Umar-Jabbi, said during the opening of the training on Tuesday in Sokoto that the effort was supported by the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative Project aimed at eliminating Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).
Umar-Jabbi, who is the District Head of Gagi, said the activity was targeted at enhancing scholars’ capacity in modern knowledge and global scholars’ submissions on GBV and harmful practices.
He said the 50 Imams were from Tangaza, Binji, Bodinga and Sokoto North local government areas covered by the Spotlight Initiative Project in Sokoto State.
He added that participants were educated on the importance of girl-child education, accessing right medications in designated hospitals including ante-natal care and child spacing methods.
According to him, most scholars in rural communities have poor access to educational materials relevant for handling issues surrounding sexual abuses and other forms of violence.
“It is an ongoing effort aimed at equipping scholars and the society to effectively assist survivors of sexual and GBV in their respective communities.
“The Imams serve as great councillors to community groups, as such, training on ways to offer services and referrals of survivors and other forms of violence against women will go a long way in assisting the authorities,’’ Umar-Jabbi said.
He urged the participants to endeavour to share knowledge and experiences for the good of the society.
He commended the handlers of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative Project and the Sokoto State Government for their support, stressing that rising cases of GBV and harmful practices in the country called for collective efforts to reduce the menace.
In their separate lectures, Muhammad Abdullahi, Aminu Bala and Muhammadu Attahiru-Badamina, concentrated on the causes and avenues that could prompt gender-based violence.
The scholars presented divers opinions on modern knowledge and the Islamic Shari’ah law provisions safeguarding the integrity of women and improper practices in the society.
They maintained that the impacts of gender-based violence affected survivors’ behaviours, growth and development, as well as their psychological wellbeing.
Hajiya Kulu Nuhu, the acting Permanent Secretary, Sokoto State Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, said strategies and policies had been put in place to check the ugly trend.
Nuhu urged CSOs to assist relevant agencies in checkmating the menace by exposing perpetrators and monitor the wellbeing of survivors.
She noted that the state government, in collaboration with actors of the Spotlight Initiative Project had established a Sexual Assault Referral Centre to provide immediate and long term remedies for survivors of GBV.
Malam Umar Idris, the UNFPA Spotlight Desk Officer in Sokoto State, commended CADI for the efforts and stressed the need for more collective efforts against the menace.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training availed the scholars the opportunity to present papers on different topics that provided overview of Shari’ah intelligence and happenings in their localities.(NAN)
