Key actors from Nigeria’s justice, education, and community sectors have called for faster prosecutions, stronger inter-agency coordination, and a survivor-centred approach to keeping girls in school. This was the verdict as they gathered in Kano State last Saturday for a high-level dialogue on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and its devastating toll on girls’ education.
The stakeholders’ dialogue, convened by The Inclusion Project (TIP) with support from Malala Fund, brought together government officials, judicial officers, law enforcement agencies, traditional rulers, civil society organisations, and education stakeholders to confront what speakers repeatedly described as a systemic crisis hiding in plain sight.
Commitment to Strengthen Prosecution
Delivering a goodwill message, the Attorney General of Kano State, Abdulkarim Maude (SAN), reaffirmed the Ministry of Justice’s commitment to strengthening the prosecution of SGBV cases. However, he acknowledged that persistent obstacles, including difficulties securing witness attendance, cultural and familial pressures, and weak witness protection frameworks, have continued to undermine justice delivery.
Keynote Address: Theft of Opportunity
The tone was set early by a keynote delivered on behalf of the Commissioner for Education, in which Director of Planning, Research and Statistics Hamza Yushau described sexual and gender-based violence as a theft of opportunity. “When systems fail to respond swiftly, we are not merely delaying justice. We are ending a girl’s education,” he said, calling for a shift from siloed institutional responses to integrated, survivor-centred mechanisms, including fast-track courts for cases involving minors.
Judicial Reforms Underway
Representing the Chief Judge of Kano State, Justice Zuwaira Yusuf pointed to ongoing reforms, among them the establishment of special courts and practice directions to expedite SGBV cases as evidence of the state’s commitment. “The responsibility to address SGBV is multisectoral,” she said, stressing that stronger institutional linkages are essential to protecting girls and advancing their educational rights.
Traditional Leaders’ Role
Traditional leaders added weight to the proceedings. A representative of the Emirate Council, Alhaji Bashir Mahe Wali, Walin Kano, called for sustained community education and closer cooperation between traditional institutions and formal justice systems. The representative of the District Head of Tarauni, Alhaji Hamid Sidi Ali, stressed the responsibility of families and community leaders in confronting harmful practices and encouraging survivors to report.
Panel Discussions: Prosecution Gaps and Evidence Handling
Panel discussions ranged across prosecution gaps, evidence handling failures, and law enforcement constraints. Speakers highlighted the need for prompt forensic medical examinations, technology-assisted witness statement recording, and scientific evidence-gathering to build cases that can withstand the pressures that often lead victims to withdraw testimony. Police representatives acknowledged their mandate to act swiftly but called for stronger collaboration with schools, healthcare providers, social services, and the Ministry of Justice.
A recurring finding across sessions was that many cases collapsed not in court, but long before due to poor evidence preservation, delayed reporting, and communication breakdowns between institutions. Participants called for clearer referral pathways, enhanced training for frontline actors, and greater investment in investigative tools and victim support services.
Education Systems and Survivor Support
A second panel examined how education systems can better support survivors. Beyond prevention, participants said, schools must actively facilitate reintegration through counselling, safe learning environments, and structured re-entry pathways. Existing initiatives including accelerated education programmes and learning centres across Kano State were cited as foundations to build on.
Representatives from TIP’s Community Watchdog Committee outlined their role in community-based violence prevention, while members of the Girls’ Education Champion club presented a draft education monitoring scorecard, a girl-friendly tool designed to assess school and community safety and received feedback from participants.
Concrete Action Points
The dialogue closed with a set of concrete action points: finalising Education Re-entry Guidelines to enable girls affected by SGBV or early marriage to return to school, expanding accelerated education programmes across additional local government areas, and establishing a coordinated SGBV reporting pathway across relevant state ministries. Participants agreed to continue partnering with TIP toward that goal.
