By Salisu Kabuga
Concern over the rise of gender-based violence in Jigawa state reached a new high during a Town Hall Meeting on Building Male Allyship and Ending Gender-Based Violence.
The one-day stakeholders’ engagement meeting organised by the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), under the Male Feminist Network (MSF) project, supported by the Ford Foundation held on Thursday in Dutse, the Jigawa state capital was aimed to tackle the issue of violence against women and children across the state.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Director, CITAD, Dr. Yunusa Ya'u Zakari said the program aims to tackle this disturbing trend which threatens communities across many states in the federation including Jigawa.
He said, “This two-year initiative will recruit about 1,000 people, men and women to help sensitize society on the various forms and dangers of gender-based violence.”
Represented by Mr. Kamal Alhassan, Finance Officer, the E.D CITAD emphasised the importance of collaborative efforts, noting that change requires everyone’s involvement to protect vulnerable individuals.
According to him, CITAD’s sustained campaign hopes to break the silence and reduce violence through education, advocacy, and stronger community engagement.
In his remark while presiding over the stakeholders meeting, the CITAD Programme Officer, Mr. Sani Sa'id explained that the workshop was arranged to engage religious leaders, traditional rulers, community heads, organisations, and other stakeholders in order to find ways to end violence against women in the state.
The Programme Officer stated further that data shows that the majority of offenders are men, which is why men and other stakeholders were invited to raise awareness about the harmful effects of such actions.
He added that similar workshops were held in other states across the federation, as the Center is taking charge of the project in 7 Northwestern state in the country, piloting with Kaduna, Kano and Jigawa state.
The official, however called on the public and other stakeholders to promptly report anyone found guilty of violence against women to the nearest authority for appropriate action.
In their various speeches, other participating stakeholders from organisations and government ministries presented their views and suggestions on the best approaches to achieve the desired success.
During the interactive session, Mrs. Fatima Umar from the Women’s Rights Network urged everyone to prioritise education, saying, “We must teach our communities about respect and equality starting from the home to truly end gender-based violence.”
She prayed for strength and unity among stakeholders to face the challenge together.
Mr. Musa Abubakar, representing the Youth Empowerment Group, called for more youth involvement in awareness campaigns.
He stressed, “The young people are key agents of change, and we promise to mobilise them to spread the message and reject all forms of violence.”
Meanwhile, Suleiman Bako, an influential leader in the state, committed to using his influence to enforce cultural norms that protect women and children.
He promised, “As a custodian of our traditions, I vow to work closely with the police and community leaders to ensure that offenders face appropriate consequences.”
NEWSKEEPER reports that the meeting themed ‘Men as protectors, not perpetrators: promoting faith and culture to end gender-based violence’ brought together diverse organizations, faith leaders, and professionals from across the state to discuss practical steps for prevention and support, and the collaborative efforts highlighted the crucial role everyone must play in changing mindsets, strengthening community ties, and ensuring a safer environment for women and children across Jigawa.
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