EU, FG strengthen legal response to school gender-based violence in Nigeria

The Federal Government, with support from the European Union, has intensified efforts to tackle school-related gender-based violence (SR-GBV), rolling out a new prosecution framework aimed at strengthening accountability and ensuring perpetrators face justice.

The move was highlighted on Tuesday in Abuja during a two-day training workshop on the implementation of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Prosecution of Perpetrators of School-Related Gender-Based Violence, where government officials, legal practitioners, security agencies and education stakeholders gathered to enhance coordinated responses to abuse in schools.

The workshop is expected to enhance the capacity of justice, security and education stakeholders to implement the SOP effectively, improve survivor-centred responses, and strengthen accountability mechanisms aimed at making schools safer for children across Nigeria.

Speaking at the workshop, the Head of the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Response Unit at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Yewande Gbola-Awopetu, described school-related violence as one of the most serious threats to children’s safety and future, stressing that effective prosecution remains critical to ending impunity.

She noted that violence in educational institutions extends beyond disrupting learning, warning that it erodes students’ confidence and weakens public trust in institutions.

“School-related gender-based violence remains one of the most profound threats to the wellbeing, safety and future of our children,” Gbola-Awopetu said.

“Every child enters a classroom with dreams, aspirations and the expectation of safety. When violence enters those spaces, it does more than disrupt education; it diminishes confidence, weakens trust in institutions, and threatens the very foundation upon which young people build their futures.”

She urged prosecutors, law enforcement officers and educators attending the workshop to ensure the newly introduced framework translates into meaningful action for survivors.

“The strength of any framework lies not only in its content but in its implementation,” she said, emphasizing the need for greater institutional accountability and a survivor-centred approach.

The workshop forms part of the broader EU Support to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria (ESGBV) Programme, a four-year intervention being implemented by International IDEA across the Federal Capital Territory, Benue, Oyo and Kaduna states.

Stakeholders at the event noted that school-related gender-based violence remains a major concern, with reports indicating that about 18 per cent of sexual violence incidents recorded in Nigeria occur within educational institutions.

Also speaking, Assistant Director at the Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs Apakasa Augustina, disclosed that the Ministry had already distributed the SOP document to all 115 Federal Unity Colleges across the country.

She disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Education has already distributed this document to all 115 Unity Schools across the country,” she said.

“The document has been provided to all school principals to ensure that the objectives of this initiative are fully realised.”

Augustina stressed the importance of equipping teachers and school administrators with the skills needed to identify, prevent and respond appropriately to gender-based violence cases.

“Schools are among the primary places where such cases are experienced and reported. It is a very important step to equip teachers and other education stakeholders with the knowledge and skills needed to address and prevent GBV,” she added.

Gender-Based Violence Policy and Strategy Development Specialist at International IDEA, Melissa Omene, said the programme seeks to strengthen legal and institutional responses to violence in schools, including sexual harassment, exploitation, cyberbullying and harmful disciplinary practices.

According to her, many victims, particularly girls, are forced out of school due to abuse and the absence of effective response mechanisms.

“Strengthening the legal pathway for prosecution is about reinforcing accountability,” Omene said.

“It sends a clear message that acts of violence, especially those affecting children in school settings, will not be tolerated and that institutions are prepared to respond with professionalism and due process.”

She also revealed that assessments were ongoing to establish additional Sexual Assault Referral Centres and emergency shelters in hospitals across the FCT as part of efforts to provide comprehensive support services for survivors.

For her part, Executive Director of the Protect the Child Foundation and project consultant, Elizabeth Ebulejonu Achimugu, said the training was designed to close long-standing gaps between reporting abuse and securing justice.

“The gap is, when these things are reported, what happens next?” she asked.

“The teacher may really not know what to do within the confines of the law. Accessing justice is where the problem always is.”

Achimugu explained that the programme brings together the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, prosecutors and education officials to improve evidence gathering, case management and prosecution outcomes.

She said strengthening coordination among institutions would help ensure that reported cases do not collapse before reaching the courts.

“People will continue to commit crimes if they feel that they can go scot-free, and that’s what we don’t want,” she said.

“When children go to school and they know they are safe in school, they will thrive. This training is beyond just the people here; it is about the future of the Nigerian educational system.”