By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna

Participants have commended International IDEA for strengthening their capacity to handle sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) cases, improve survivor support and address gaps in investigation and prosecution.

The commendation came on Friday, at the end of a four-day multi-agency Training of Trainers (ToT) for law enforcement and justice sector institutions on strengthening survivor-centred SGBV investigation, prosecution and justice outcomes, held in Kaduna.

The Second-in-Command of the Gender and Family Support Unit, State Criminal Investigation Department, Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Phoebe Samuel, said the training had exposed gaps in her previous approach to handling cases and given her the confidence to seek institutional and external support to address them.

Phoebe disclosed that she had identified an available space within the unit that could be converted into a survivor-friendly room, adding that she would formally seek approval and support for its renovation.

She said the impact of the training was already evident, as she had begun encouraging officers to adopt improved procedures for receiving information, documenting cases and handling survivors.

Similarly, the Head of the Gender Unit, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Kaduna State Command, Superintendent of Corps Hafsat Garba, said the training had improved her understanding of survivor-centred investigations, case documentation, witness management and follow-up support.

Garba stressed that investigators’ responsibilities should not end after referring survivors for medical attention or forwarding case files for prosecution.

She said officers must follow up with relevant agencies to ensure survivors receive psychosocial support, medical care and other necessary services, including empowerment opportunities.

She also said the training had drawn attention to witness protection, recalling her personal experience of feeling threatened after encountering a rape suspect she had investigated in court.

Grace Yohanna of the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), Kafanchan, also commended the multi-agency approach, which brought together security personnel, media practitioners, religious and community leaders and other stakeholders.

She said the training had strengthened participants’ understanding of formal and informal referral pathways, particularly the responsibility of community members who receive reports of abuse to guide survivors towards appropriate services.

Yohanna, however, called for the programme to be extended to remote communities and local government areas through senatorial district and cluster-level training to reach more frontline officers and stakeholders.

She disclosed that the Kafanchan centre, which started operations in 2019 with about two cases monthly, recorded 92 cases last month, underscoring the need for sustained awareness campaigns and improved access to support services.

Senior Programme Manager of the European Union Support to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Programme at International IDEA, Dr Mufuliat Fijabi, in an interview, urged participants to replicate the training in their respective institutions.

Fijabi said the programme was designed to build a pool of trained law enforcement officers capable of improving SGBV investigation and prosecution.

She described the police as a critical partner in the initiative and expressed hope that the command would provide an enabling environment for officers to apply the survivor-centred approach, including providing private spaces for interviewing survivors.

The training was organised by International IDEA under its European Union Support to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria Programme.