National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has charged journalists to take the lead in the fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and protect vulnerable persons.
The agency also urged the journalists to raise awareness and promote justice for the survivors.
NAPTIP’s Director-General, Mrs Binta Bello, made the call on Wednesday in Makurdi at a two-day capacity building on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Media Corps Workshop organized by NAPTIP.
The workshop is organized by the European Union (EU) Support to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (ESGBV) Programme.
ESGBV is implemented by International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) in partnership with relevant national and state institutions in Nigeria.
Bello said the rising incidence of GBV remained a major national concern requiring coordinated action.
She was represented by the Head of NAPTIP’s Press and Public Relations Unit, Mr Vincent Adekoye.
She urged journalists to use their platforms to create awareness, promote prevention and ensure accountability, adding that NAPTIP had secured over 40 GBV-related convictions.
She said that the convictions include three life-imprisonment sentences for rape, pledging stronger partnerships to ensure perpetrators did not escape justice.
‘’SGBV Media Corps will promote professional, survivor-centred and evidence-based reporting, while shifting coverage away from sensationalism.
‘’The initiative will promote prevention, access to trusted information, referral pathways and positive social change through coordinated media engagement, ‘’ the director-general said.
Mrs Wynyfred Achu-Egbuson, International IDEA’s ESGBV Civil Society and Community Mobilization Specialist, said the programme followed extensive federal and state consultations.
Achu-Egbuson said Oyo, Benue and Kaduna states were selected based on SGBV prevalence and opportunities for change.
She identified three intervention areas: strengthening laws and policies, improving survivor-centred services and promoting positive social norms through stronger community engagement.
She said the programme would expand Sexual Assault Referral Centres and strengthen civil society and community structures.
Achu-Egbuson stressed that laws would remain ineffective if citizens were unaware of them, making the media crucial for grassroots awareness and behavioral change.
On his part, Director-General, Radio Benue, Mr Terseer Mzuulga, called for grassroots collaboration involving media, religious institutions and community leaders, pledging the station’s support.
Mzuulga proposed interactive radio programmes, indigenous-language content and community-focused campaigns.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the participants received training on the nature and realities of GBV, its traumatic effects and the role of the media in protecting women and children.
The organizers urged members of the Media Corps to use their platforms to challenge harmful social norms, protect survivors and strengthen public demand for justice and accountability. (NAN).
