Kaduna Ministry, SGBV Media Corps Forge Partnership to Protect Women, Children
By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna
The Kaduna State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has opened discussions with the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Media Corps on a stronger partnership to improve reporting, referrals, public awareness and protection of women and children across the state.
The Commissioner, Rabi Salisu Hajia, made the commitment on Tuesday when she received members of the Media Corps in her office in Kaduna, assuring the team of the ministry’s willingness to work closely with journalists on SGBV issues.
The SGBV Media Corps is an initiative launched in August 2026 by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and International IDEA, with funding from the European Union Support to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (ESGBV) Programme.
Salisu described journalists as critical partners in the fight against violence against women and children, recalling that media practitioners had helped amplify her advocacy work long before she joined government.
“Journalists are my friends,” she said, noting that their reporting had helped bring visibility to issues affecting vulnerable people.
She urged members of the Media Corps to work closely with the ministry when handling SGBV cases, particularly in referring survivors to appropriate response structures and protecting sensitive information.
According to her, the ministry has social workers across the local government areas and Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) to provide support and coordinate responses to cases.
“All our SARC centres are funded. Our gender-based violence work is funded,” she said.
The commissioner said closer cooperation with the media would enable the ministry to provide relevant information and support while ensuring that sensitive cases are handled in ways that do not expose survivors or compromise investigations.
“If you are working hand-in-hand with us, we file it, we put the FIR there, we put the result there, we put everything there. You see everything. We pursue it together,” she said.
Earlier, Sola Ojo, who led the Media Corps delegation, said the visit was aimed at exploring practical areas of collaboration with the ministry.
Ojo said the Corps wanted to leverage the ministry’s experience and existing structures to strengthen efforts to protect women and children, while using its media platform to amplify initiatives capable of improving SGBV response in Kaduna.
“We are looking into how we can collaborate to amplify key initiatives regarding the protection of women and children in Kaduna State,” he said.
He pointed to Kaduna’s existing legal frameworks, including the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law and the Child Welfare Act 2018, as important tools that could be better communicated and deployed through public education and media engagement.
Ojo said the Corps also wanted to understand the realities confronting frontline actors and identify ways journalists could complement—not undermine—the work of government agencies handling SGBV cases.
“We want to explore how best to amplify the work being done here at the Ministry of Women Affairs to ensure that women and children across Kaduna State remain safe,” he said.
He added that the partnership could involve technical support, information sharing and stronger communication between the media and relevant government structures.
The engagement ended with a shared emphasis on closer collaboration, early referral of cases, responsible reporting, survivor protection and sustained public awareness as key components of the fight against SGBV in Kaduna State.
