By Hafsat Ali, Kaduna National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has trained 40 journalists from Kad...
By Hafsat Ali, Kaduna
National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has trained 40 journalists from Kaduna State and the Federal Capital Territory on ethical and survivor-centred reporting of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
The training was in collaboration with the European Union (EU)-funded Support to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (ESGBV) Programme.
The two-day SGBV Media Corps Workshop, was organised with support from the ESGBV Programme and implemented by International IDEA, brought together 20 journalists each from Kaduna and the FCT.
The training was aimed at improving the quality, ethics and coordination of media reporting on SGBV, while promoting professional, evidence-based and action-oriented coverage.
Speaking at the workshop, NAPTIP’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Vincent Adekoye, urged journalists to take greater ownership of the fight against SGBV, stressing that responsible reporting could help expose perpetrators, protect survivors and promote access to justice.
He disclosed that NAPTIP had secured three life-imprisonment convictions in SGBV-related cases, but identified intimidation, community pressure and attempts to settle rape cases outside the formal justice system as major challenges.
Adekoye also raised concerns over revenge pornography and blackmail, particularly cases where victims are lured into relationships before their private images are allegedly used to extort money from them.
He urged journalists to give greater attention to such emerging forms of abuse and ensure that reports do not further stigmatise survivors.
Also speaking, the Civil Society and Community Mobilisation Specialist with the ESGBV Programme, Wynyfred Achu-Egbuson, said the organisers expected the training to improve SGBV reporting in Kaduna and the FCT.
She urged journalists to adopt survivor-centred and ethical approaches while helping the public understand the social, financial, emotional and psychological consequences of SGBV.
Achu-Egbuson said journalists have a critical role in reducing SGBV by connecting survivors with available support services, including medical care, trauma counselling and shelters provided by government and civil society organisations.
She encouraged survivors who may be unable to approach government agencies directly to seek assistance through journalists, whom she described as accessible links to relevant services.
The EU-funded ESGBV Programme is being implemented in the FCT, Kaduna, Oyo and Benue states, with the broader objective of strengthening prevention, referral pathways, access to trusted information and positive social-norm change around sexual and gender-based violence.
No comments