GBV: Kano records 800 cases of rape, domestic violence in 11 months

NEWS

GBV: Kano records 800 cases of rape, domestic violence in 11 months 

As Stakeholders task Kano Govt on speedy passage of VAPP, Child protection bills 

Dec 7, 2022 – 19:41

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GBV: Kano records 800 cases of rape, domestic violence in 11 months 

Over 800 cases of rape, domestic violence, sexual abuse, online harassment from have been recorded in Kano State from January to November, 2022. 

The disclosure was made by the Gender Officer, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD),  Hajiya Zainab Aminu, who decried the ever rising cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Kano state. 

She spoke after a road walk to commemorate the 2022 16 Days Activism against GBV from National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Perrsons (NAPTIP), Kano office, to Kano state House of Assembly.

She called on the Kano State House of Assembly to, as a matter of necessity, pass into law the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP) and the Kano state  child protection bills, to enhance the fight against sexual and gender based violence. 

Hajiya Zainab Aminu explained that the aim of the road walk was to create awareness on GBV and advocate for the speedy domestication of the  bills by relevant stakeholders.

She noted  that, if passed into law, the laws would go a long way in curbing the menace, where  perpetrators would be prosecuted in order to have a safer society.

Hajiya Aminu, therefore,  expressed concern over the delay by Kano State House of Assembly, in passing  the Child Protection bill, saying  that domestication and implementation of the act would help to curb gender-based violence in the state.

According to her, “Gender-based violence must be put to a stop because it is an evil act. It ranges from rape, battery and child molestation, among others.”

Also speaking, Head of Department, sexual and gender based violence, NAPTIP Kano zonal command, Hajiya Rasheda Aminu Ibrahim, highlighted that lack of VAP act in Kano limits the prosecution of SGBV offenders.

She said, NAPTIP zonal command which compromises of Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kaduna and Bauchi states, was committed to eradicating sexual and gender based violence, child labour and molestation, human trafficking, among others.

In a related development, the CITAD Program Officer, Digital Rights, Alhaji Ali Sabo, has said that “due to the refusal of the president to assent to this bill, Nigerians have been witnessing an increase in the violation of their digital rights by the Nigerian government and its security agencies.”

He said that it is imperative to know that assenting to this bill would pave the way for more development in the country and drive the country’s digital space to a better level.

According to him, the bill when assented to, will strengthen the citizens’ right to the internet and its free use without undue monitoring

 He said that it would help in identification of true owners of personal data which are the owners themselves and the  bill will also encourage the stipulation of due process that should be followed before access is granted to government agencies and others to personal data of citizens

He also noted that there were rampant cases of Gender Based Violence (GBV) because president Muhammadu Buhari has not assented  to the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill in Nigeria which was passed by the National Assembly since 2018.

CITAD 16 ACTIVISM

https://www.thecampuswatch.com/2022/12/08/naptip-citad-others-calls-for-domestication-of-child-rights-act-vapp/

https://stateflash.com/gbv-kano-records-800-cases-of-rape-domestic-violence-in-11-months

https://pyramidfm.com.ng/gbv-citad-naptip-nscdc-others-raise-awareness-campaign/

https://tribuneonlineng.com/stakeholders-task-kano-govt-on-speedy-passage-of-vapp-child-protection-bill/

https://saheliantimes.com/16-days-of-activism-citad-naptip-others-take-campaign-to-kano-streets/

https://justicewatchnews.com/kano-citad-naptip-others-call-for-domestication-of-vapp-child-rights-laws/

https://youtu.be/DzG8fDjkfWg

https://dailyfocus.ng/16-days-of-activism-citad-naptip-others-take-campaign-to-kano-streets/

https://primetimenews.ng/gbv-activism-citad-urges-kano-state-house-of-assembly-to-domestic-implement-child-protection-law/

https://www.radionigeriakaduna.gov.ng/blog/2022/12/06/sgbv-stakeholders-advocate-domestication-

CITAD sensitizes University Students on identifying, reporting GBV cases

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has kicked off this year’s campaign against Gender-Based Violence with a sensitization lecture on reporting and identifying GBV cases to the students of Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano.

The 16-day campaign on the international day for elimination of Violence against women and girls is an annual event aimed at addressing the menace of violence against women and girls across the globe.

Addressing journalists at the lecture, CITAD gender officer explained that the event was to create awareness on the need for citizens to always speak against Sexual and Gender-based violence.

Zainab Aminu, appealed to Nigerians to expose the perpetrators of violence against women and the girl-child.

Presenting a paper on reporting and identifying gender based violence, Director Center for Gender Studies, Bayero University Kano, Dr. Suwaiba Saidu Ahmed identified poverty, hunger, harmful cultural practices, female genital mutilation, war and conflict as some of the major catalysts to gender based violence.

According to her, gender based violence refers to violence directed to a person based on gender, saying that the menace is becoming rampant in the society.

The director stressed that legislation, education, information dissemination, identifying root cases of societal problems, supporting for victims, women empowerment and zero tolerance to GBV, as some of the ways of mitigating the problem.

She charged the government, and relevant stakeholders to treat gender based violence as a public health issue, by establishing centers to treat and counsel victims.

“We should engage in activities that would stop GBV to ensure a safer society”

GBV: CITAD trains 3rd phase of Gender Champions in Kano

The Centre for Information Technology and Development, CITAD has organized a Two days training for 20 youths, tagged ‘Gender Champions’ on the ways to address Gender-Based Violence in their various communities in Kano State.

The training, which is the third in the series of Gender Champions, took place in Kano with the aim to curtail the menace of GBV in the society.

Speaking to Journalists at the training, CITAD’s Gender Officer, Mrs. Zainab Aminu described Gender Violence as malicious and harmful act, posing serious threat to the general well-being of human societies, calling on stakeholders to collaborate with a view to fighting the scourge.

According to her, GBV is an unfortunate act where perpetrators directed at individuals or group of people.

She however said, the 20 Champions were selected from various communities in Kano state.

Participants during the training.

“Ambassadors selected will be empowered to conduct step-down training in their respective communities as well as making a powerful advocacy visit to key relevant stakeholders,”

“The champions also comprised of both men and women, including People Living With Disabilities.”

She noted that CITAD will continue sensitizing the general public against the scourge, stressing that, it will not rest on its oars until GVB is drastically reduced.

Zainab Aminu explained that the training is sponsored by Centre for Information and Development (CITAD) with support from Ford Foundation.

“This is the 3rd set of individuals being trained to advocate against GBV, the first and second batch, comprising of 40 individuals each.

Also speaking on behalf of Champions,  Rose Steven thanked CITAD for the training.

She stated readiness to step down what they learnt in their various communities.

REPORT OF THE WOMEN INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM 2022 (WIGF2022) ORGANIZED BY
THE CENTRE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT IN COLLABORATION
WITH NIGERIAN INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM HELD ON THE 14 TH OF SEPTEMBER, 2022 VIA
ZOOM

INTRODUCTION
On the 14 th of September, 2022 the Centre for Information Technology and Development held
the 4 th Women Internet Governance Forum as part of the 2022 Internet Governance Forum
activities. The event which is being held annually is part of the Nigerian Internet Governance
Forum (NIGF) pre-event activities., This year, the event theme was Making the Internet for
Livelihood, Love and Life: Tackling Gender and Child Abuse Online and was held online with a
limited physical attendance/participation in Kano. The theme was a well thought one, looking
at the global happenings around gender and child abuse online which has become a norm by
the perpetrators. Madam Marry Udoma, Chair West African Internet Governance Forum served
as the chair with Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, Chair, Kalu D Foundation as the Keynote Speaker while
Jan Moolman, Co-Manager: Women’s Rights Programme, Association for Progressive
Communications served as the Guest Speaker.
Also, two technical sessions were held on Gender Violence Online and Child Protection Online.
At the two sessions, distinguished personalities and experts on Gender Based Violence and
Child Protection spoke and shared their experience and knowledge with the participants. The
first session which was titled Dealing with Gender Violence Online was chaired by Professor
Amina Kaidal of the University of Maiduguri while the speakers at this session were Zainab
Aminu, CITAD Technical Officer, Mrs. Martha Alade, Founder, Women in Technology and Msen
Nabo, Digital Media Associate at Connected Development.
The second session which focused on Dealing with Child Protection Online, had Hajiya Suwaiba
Muhammad Dankabo, Programmes Manager at ActionAid International as chair while Aminu
Adamu Naganye of the Star Newspaper, Harira Wakili, a Gender and Human Rights Activist and
Barrister Aisha Mahdi of Green Edge Attorneys served as the speakers.
OPENING SESSION
In his opening remarks, the Executive Director of CITAD, Y.Z Ya’u started by explaining the
purpose of this year’s WIGF during which he stated that, the essence of organizing the forum
was to encourage discussion, especially among women, on internet governance and harvest
strategies for addressing issues that tend to reinforce the marginalization of women in the
digital space. Mr. Ya’u further stated that the WIGF focuses on two specific issues:

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  1. Issues of Gender Based Violence: in this regards, Mr. Y.Z said a lot of young women have
    suffered and still suffering from different kind of gender violence from people whose aim was
    to deter them from using the internet. He also lamented that in some cases these young
    women face gender violence by their social media friends. Moreover, the Executive Director
    also said many women especially political aspirants are being abused and castigated on social
    media based on their gender, which contributes in furthering the political marginalization of
    women.
  2. Child Abuse Online: on this, the Executive Director stated that the Federal Government of
    Nigeria has set up panel to advise on a policy framework on how to address this issue. Speaking
    further on this, Ya’u hoped the forum would give the participants a chance to harvest strategic
    ideas that can help in shaping the policy, raise awareness and involve other stakeholders in
    trying to sanitize the digital ecosystem so that the women in particular can be able to make
    effective use of the internet in the country, have access to educational materials and ability to
    use the internet without being harassed or intimidated.
    Speaking about the importance of the internet, Mr. Ya’u stated that internet allows individuals
    and academics to make research when there is accessible and safe internet. Fearing that some
    factors may hinder the proper use of the internet, Ya’u advocated that factors which inhibit
    people from using the internet needed to be removed and issue of affordability should also be
    addressed. He observed that women find it more difficult to access the internet than men due
    to the economic disparity that exists between two.
    Moreover, Ya’u said the aims of the forum were to: improve user security competence among
    women, ensure women are able to use the internet safely & secure their communications and
    that their privacy is well respected. At the end, he emphasized that “we must take internet as a
    right for everybody in the country”
    Giving her remarks at the Forum, the West African Chair of the Internet Governance Forum,
    Mrs. Marry Uduma said in discussing about children and women on the net, we need to first
    understand that these category of people are already being marginalized and a huge gap exists
    in the society. She also stated that women and children are every day being abused and
    violence being meted on them online but little is being done to curtail the situation. Further,
    the West African Chair said, these categories needed to be encouraged and supported to use
    the internet without being harassed and their rights not being violated in order to benefit from
    the ample opportunities the internet presents. At the end she encouraged the participants to
    actively participate at the forum.
    The Keynote Speaker at the Forum, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, Chair, Kalu D Foundation mentioned
    that in the early days of the internet, it has been a concern to the whole nation. Discussing on

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the responses to Gender Abuse Online and the multiple questions to address bordering around
gender violence online, the keynote speaker said, there is need to develop campaigns messages
to counter the misusers of the internet and contributed to the current processes of developing
national strategy on child protection online. The speaker also stated that the essence is to find
ways on how to address physical and online abuse, and how to protect vulnerable people from
being harmed on the internet. For this, she said more budget need to be allocated to this area.
Mrs. Ibukun went further to state that under United Nations Charter for Child Protection, every
child is expected to have a fundamental right to education, a right to health and a right to
livelihood, children are supposed to be allowed to speak and to be heard, but a lot of
constraints are preventing them from being able to fully access their fundamental rights
especially in Africa due to the cultural issues. Speaking about the ample advantages of the
Internet, Mrs. Odusate said if there was no internet during the COVID-19 pandemic, many
people could have lost their lives. The internet had also served as school for many children
during the lockdown, however, it also came with many disadvantages where some people used
it to abuse children.
Buttressing child abuse further, the keynote speaker said child and women abuse is a daily
reality in Nigeria; six out of ten children experience one form of abuse or the other, one in four
girls, and ten percent of boys have also been abused according to UNICEF data. She said
Technology when use in the right way has a potential to broaden opportunities and reduce the
level of abuse if there are proper guidance. The keynote speaker also lamented that many
opportunities are still not fully explored, but people tend to use the negative side of the
internet, bullying others and amplifying hate speech on social media platforms.
On the negative consequences of child abuse on education, Mrs. Odusate said report has
shown that one in five children skipped school due to abuse, and of recent, kidnapping of
school children has also brought a lot of problem to children education in the country.
Discussing about the strategies to follow in preventing gender abuse and safety promotion
among children, the speaker said, for that, educational institutions must to be protected as well
as ensuring privacy of children online. For this, government must ensure all the necessary
regulations are in place and civil society organizations need to intensify advocacies to relevant
government agencies on the issues. Also teaching digital literacy and online safety skills will go
a long way in addressing the menace.
Moreover, there was need to articulate and introduce policies on how to prevent the abuses,
promote parental care education, enlightenment on online activities for the children and
women need to be properly educated. There is need for guidelines on installation of
appropriate technology and software to prevent children falling into the traps of their abusers.

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And creating trauma management techniques and advocacy for protecting young people online
will go a long way in finding the solution to the problem.
In her contribution, the Guest Speaker, Ms. Jan Moolman started her contribution by saying
that the journey for the improvement of women’s rights especially on the internet is a difficult
one, looking at how the internet impact the lives of women from the ICT to digital technology,
from the focus of ICT for D from the 1990s to 2000s and even in the contemporary discussion
regarding privacy, disinformation, misinformation, censorship and hate speech, the role of
women in influencing, shaping and benefiting from digital technology is getting much more
grounded, and this recognition is largely due to the consistent work of organizations and people
in the global south that consistently call for inclusion, diversity and bringing gender approaches
to all the work that concerned human rights, both online and offline. Information around
gender based violence has been at the core of this work and has duly serve in bringing different
actors into the same room to find solution, the speaker added. She went further to say that it
took many years of lobbying and advocacy and work within women movement, including
building knowledge, research, campaigning, sharing experience and finally getting a common
language to get recognition on violation women experience when they are online. And this
work and persistency led to the 2018 adaptation of the UN Human Rights Council first ever UN
resolution on preventing and responding to violence against women and girls in digital context
and other different resolutions including the recent one in Africa has brought more relief to
women and girls in the continent.
Speaking on the issues APC and its partners pay more attention to when it comes to women
rights and digital technology, Ms. Moolman mentioned the followings:

  1. Joy, hope and Justice: according to the Guest speaker, for people who experienced
    violence online, there is hope they can find joy with regards to connection, information,
    solidarity, friendship, fun and even in some cases love. And for this, APC and its partners
    think it is important to encourage people to continue the work they are doing and to
    keep women safe and in a productive way on the digital space.
  2. Access: Even though women face many forms of violence online but there is need to
    ensure they have access to online platforms as easily and affordable as possible in order
    to carry out their normal activities. Emphasizing on how women are being marginalized
    when it comes to accessing the internet, the speaker said, the 2019 ITBU report stated
    that globally only 48% of women are online and in the global south this is even lower at
    28%. This according her shows that there is wide gap between the connected and
    unconnected in the society. And unless we are able to address the issue of accessibility,
    many women and marginalized communities will remain in darkness and their voices
    silent.

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  1. Third is about companies that own social media platforms that are regulating contents
    that lacks clarity and consistency and which upon violate the rights of people without
    accountability or remedy. These companies are determining online discourses with
    focus on profits at the expense of users’ privacy and rights.
  2. The fourth is about how feminists organizing online and offline are expanding and taking
    new forms. These groups are upon targeting for gender based violence online and it
    sometimes manifest to offline spaces.
    FIRST TECHNICAL SESSION: DEALING WITH GENDER VIOLENCE ONLINE
    CHAIR: Professor Amina Kaidal
    PANELISTS: Martha Alade, Zainab Aminu, Msen Nabo
    The first technical session was on Dealing with Gender Violence Online. The session which was
    chaired by Professor Amina Kaidal of the University of Maiduguri had Mrs. Martha Alade,
    Founder of Women InTechnology, Zainab Aminu, Gender Technical Officer, Centre for
    Information Technology and Development and Msen Nabo, Digital Media Associate at
    Connected Development.
    In her presentation, Zainab Aminu started by defining the Gender-Based violence which
    according to her refers to harmful acts directed at an individual based on their gender and
    rooted in gender inequality, the abuse of power and harmful norms.  Mss. Aminu said Gender-
    based violence (GBV) is a serious violation of human rights and a life-threatening health and
    protection issue, which is estimated that one in three women experiences sexual or physical
    violence in their lifetime.
    Zainab further stated that gender violence is not a new phenomenon; it has been existing since
    time immemorial which can include sexual, physical, mental and economic harm inflicted in
    public or in private and threats of violence, coercion and manipulation. Mss. Aminu also said
    gender violence can take many forms such as intimate partner violence, sexual violence, child
    marriage, female genital mutilation and so-called ‘honour crimes’ while its consequences are
    devastating and can have life-long repercussions for survivors. 
    Speaking about the impact of cyber violence, the speaker said it differs according to the victim’s
    gender. She gave an example with a study conducted by the Pew Research Centre which
    revealed that 38% of harassed women found their most recent experience with online
    harassment extremely or very upsetting, compared to only 17% of harassed men. The research
    further said that compared to male users, who tend to be more concerned about damage to
    their reputation, females are more likely to fear physical harm. This corresponds to the nature
    of online abuse these groups experience. Where men and boys are more likely to be victims of
    defamation and libel, women are more likely to be subjected to derogatory remarks or sexual

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images and threats, such as non-consensual pornography. She gave another example with
another study which found that female college students (age 18-24) who were victims of offline
stalking were three times more likely to be stalked online than their male counterparts. The
study also found that “while particular variables influence victimization risk among females,
virtually none of the variables in the analyses produced statistically significant relationships
with victimisation among males”.
Moreover, Zainab said key distinction between offline and online gender-based cyber violence
is that it is significantly more difficult “to permanently remove abusive or triggering content
from the Internet, which obliges the survivor to re-experience their victimisation all over again.”
This can exacerbate the psychological impacts of these forms of violence, such as flashbacks of
the incident and/or perpetrator, as well as increase the victim’s isolation period.
Discussing on the long term negative impact of gender violence online, Zainab said the greatest
impact that women experience is self-censorship. Women start censoring themselves online.
And that is what the abusers want. Another impact she said is that online violence attempts to
keep women from major sectors of the public sphere because public only take physical violence
seriously. The third impact is that some women leave the online platform [after being
harassed]. The forth impact which is being associated with online violence is public health issue
and the effects which results in physical, sexual, psychological or economic harm, and erodes
self-esteem.
Offering some solutions on how one can protect selves online, Zainab Aminu mentioned the
followings:
• Creating a strong password 
• Having different passwords for different accounts
• Downloading apps from authentication platforms and using two factor verification
• Logging out of accounts when not in use
• Not using public WIFI for sharing sensitive information 
At the end the speaker said, to stop gender violence online, there is need for public awareness
in order for people to understand it consequences which in many cases metamorphosed to
offline.
The second speaker, Mrs Martha Alade started by quoting the 1993 UN Declaration on the
Elimination of Violence against Women which defines ‘violence against women’ as an act of
gender-related violence (GBV) that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual,
psychological or economic harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion
or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life [or online].

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Discussing on the different types of Gender Violence Online, Mrs Alade said it includes; Doxing
(leaking unauthorized info to public), Sexist abuse, Hate speech, Threat to free expression,
Threat to privacy, Impersonation, Defamation, Gender-based discriminatory memes,
Cyberstalking, Online misogyny etc. On the category of people that experience Gender
Violence, Mrs Martha said women and girls from marginalised communities are the easy
targets and their voices are often unheard. Mrs Alade also said, in most of the times, girls in
local communities are being violated but they are not even aware they are being violated. She
gave a scenario on a case they worked on which happened to a small girl in a community they
are working in and the girl was abused but due to lack of proper awareness about the issue she
was not even aware she was abused until she was examined then it was discovered the girl was
violated.
At the end, the speaker said, to stop gender violence the followings need to be considered

  1. Education in local languages
  2. Increase Sensitization/Advocacy – culturally responsive and relevant
  3. Consent and privacy
  4. Human Rights Enforcements by Public and Private
  5. Employ AI for Filtering offensive contents
  6. Content Enhancement
  7. Enable more support and help channels for victims
  8. Drive programs that amplify voices of the marginalized women and girls
  9. Support NGOs working around the subject

The third at this technical session, Miss Msen Nabo, Digital Media Associate at Connected
Development said appealing to governments to take the issue of GBV more serious is
something its advocates need to take beyond social media and also people’s attitudes need to
be changed. Mss. Nabo also stated that Gender Violence especially online is something that
people come across everyday but most of the times the victims ended up being punished by the
society. The gender activist said when victims of gender violence try to speak out against the
violence mated on them they usually receive silent feedback or they are advised to keep mute
in order to protect their image.
Mss. Msen went further to say that a clear example where government is an accomplice to this
act is the case of Kano State where the State House of Assembly refused to domesticate the
Child Protection Act even though the state is ranked among the states with high rate of gender

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based violence and child abuse. According her, this need intense advocacies and awareness
creation.
Speaking further on how people violate others on social media platforms, Mss. Nabo stated
that sharing someone’s pictures, address, videos without his/her consent are all forms of
violence online and these types of violence can turn to offline. And for this, she suggested that
advocacies and awareness creation need to be carried out in order to stop it.

SECOND TECHNICAL SESSION: DEALING WITH CHILD ABUSE ONLINE
CHAIR: Hajiya Suwaiba Muhammad Dankabo
PANELISTS: Barrister Aisha Mahdi, Harira Wakili, Aminu Adamu Naganye
The second session was moderated by Hajiya Suwaiba Y. Dankabo of ActionAid Nigeria and the
Three (3) distinguished personalities and experts on Gender Based Violence and Child
Protection spoke and shared their experience and knowledge with the participants.
A Gender and Internet Right Advocate, Harira Abdulrahman Wakili started her presentation
with explaining the ample opportunities internet presents to young generations, Mss. Wakili
said that growing up internet offers limitless opportunities through computers, smartphones,
gaming consoles, and televisions, children learn, imagine and develop their social networks. But
she cautioned that these platforms need to be used in the right way, where she stated that
when these are used in the right way – and accessible to all – the internet has the potential to
broaden horizons and ignite creativity. She also said that with these opportunities come serious
risks. Harira added that cyberbullying and other forms of peer-to-peer violence can affect
young people each time they log on to social media or instant messaging platforms. Speaking
about what children can be exposed to on the net, Miss Wakili mentioned that when browsing
the internet, children may be exposed to hate speech and violent content – including messages
that incite self-harm and even suicide. According to her, what happens online reflects the
realities children face every day – at home, at school and in their wider communities. In
conclusion, Ms. Wakili emphasized that every child must be protected from violence,
exploitation and abuse on the internet.
The Second speaker at this session was Barrister Aisha H. Mahdi of Green Edge Attorneys, who
emphasized that with the widespread use of the Internet, the advancement in technology and
the proliferation of Internet-enabled devices have created borderless and unlimited access to
information. Barr. Aisha said progress brings by the internet has given the bad eggs in the
society the opportunities to exploit, put the children at risk, and make them vulnerable to
abuse. She said that there is an urgent need to balance the immense benefits of technology,
commercial interest and ensuring online safety of children with appropriate safeguards and
strong legal and institutional framework. Speaking on the safety on children online, the speaker

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said there is a growing concern about the safety and privacy of children online which is amongst
the problems identified by relevant stakeholders in Nigeria.
Discussing about the internet penetration in the country, Barrister Mahdi said as internet
penetration increases, more children are connected to the grid, and this gives the children
better understanding of technology than the average adult. The speaker also mentioned that
new phones, smart toys, computers, and privileges for using a device give birth to new
responsibilities. Speaking about the exposure of the children to social media, Aisha stated that
the increased use of social media and online services allows children to share and consume
tremendous volume of personal information online. And at the same time the children use the
Internet as a means to learn, share and participate in civic life.
The legal practitioner added that in Nigeria, Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution and Section 8
of the Child Rights Act provide for children’s right to privacy. And Section 23 of the Cybercrimes
Act 2015 punishes child pornography. The Cybercrimes (Prohibition and Prevention) Act also
criminalizes cyberbullying and cyber stalking that could affect children. According to her,
though the Act punishes consumption of such contents and provides for other offenses, there is
no other specific legal guidelines or direction to protect the online safety and privacy of the
Nigerian child. Giving recommendations on how to safeguard children online, Barrister Aisha
Mahdi said:
i. Nigeria needs an online privacy protection law for children which will seek to protect
the personal information of children on websites, online services and applications
and it should be binding on online service providers collecting the personal data of
children to ensure consent management.
ii. Service providers should require the consent of the parents or guardians if the data
collection affects a child below the established age.
iii. There is need to digitalize the Nigerian courts and repeal some laws to ensure
efficient and quick judgments related to children abuses

Sharing his experience at the forum, a Kano based journalist, Aminu Adamu Naganye of The
Star Newspaper said Internet Service Providers and Electronic Service Providers need to ensure
their platforms are secure and do not put children at risk. He added that Service providers
should implement privacy and security by design and default. Service Providers have to do
more in creating and ensuring age-appropriate contents by managing content and dealing
effectively with abuse, misuse of their platforms and illegal contact with children.
Aminu Naganye said the legal framework alone cannot guarantee complete protection for the
Nigerian child. Excessive regulation will stifle children’s participation and access to the immense
benefits of the internet. Speaking further, Mr. Naganye said there is need for increased digital
literacy for both children and their parents/guardians. According him, providing this will ensure
children implement best privacy preferences, understand the implication of oversharing, and
have good online behavior. Another recommendations the journalist gave was that
parents/guardians should ensure they always install safety tools on their wards’ devices which
will protects children from inappropriate behavior and laying their hands on inappropriate

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online contents. It will also prevents disclosure of personal information and assist parents and
guardians manage time spent on the devices.

CLOSING
Following the presentations, participants asked questions and made comments as well offered
specific recommendations that would help in making the internet safer for both women and
children. This segment also allowed the presenters to clarify on some of the issues they raised
and positions advanced as well as father interrogated some of the proposed solutions to the
challenges that women and children face online. Participants agreed that there was need to
carry both the discussion and the proposed solutions offline to reach more people and
especially engage government and other stakeholders to respond to these challenges so that
both women and children would use the internet safely and productive to ensure that it serves
their needs.
The organizers also promised to distill the recommendations and issue a communique as the
outcome of the Forum while exploring all possibilities to continue to engage both the
participants at this Forum as well as other stakeholders to mount a sustained public awareness
on the issues and an advocacy for action to address the problems,

Kano records 140 cases of Gender Based Violence in June

Kano records 140 cases of Gender Based Violence in June

 

Story from Shafa’atu DAUDA, Kano

 

About 140 cases of Gender Based Violence (GBV) were reported with some involving minors in Kano State in the month of June 2022.

 

This was revealed by the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) an NGO in the state while addressing journalists during a monthly press briefing on the GBV situation.

 

The CITAD’s project coordinator, Zainab Aminu said GBV had significantly increased in June compared to the reported cases in May.

 

“In comparison with the data obtained in previous months, GBV cases are still on the increase. 140 cases were reported via our GBV App for the month which includes rape, sexual harassment, online harassment, sexual abuse and wife battering.”

 

She expressed happiness over the increased rate of reportage, describing the development as encouraging.

 

Aminu lamented the increase of GBV cases in Kano, calling on relevant stakeholders to join hands to curtail the scourge.

 

According to her, the GBV offenders’ database adopted recently by the government will go a long way in curbing the menace, as offenders will rather desist from the act than be publicly disgraced.

 

Aminu explained that within the period in review, cases of rape were 7, online harassment 22; sexual blackmail 8; sexual harassment 60; sexual abuse 39; wife battering 3 and school violence 1.

 

“As part of our social responsibility, we would continue to advocate and improve awareness against GBV, but we still urge the citizens to take responsibility in their environment to see that these issues are curbed.”

 

Aminu appealed to parents, relatives and other key stakeholders to always report cases to the various agencies handling GBV cases, stressing that keeping silent will not protect the victims.

 

She also called on the government to establish a Gender Abuse Monitoring Unit in the Ministry of Education and its parastatal responsible for education at different levels and in the schools.

 

Aminu further stressed the need for establishing special courts that will adjudicate GBV cases.

CITAD Laments Rising Cases Of Gender-Based Violence In Kano

A Non-Governmental Organisation, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), in Kano state has called on victims of sexual assault, abuse, and domestic violence to always speak out against their experiences.

The gender desk officer of CITAD, Zainab Aminu made the call on Friday, during a monthly press conference on gender based violence in the state.

Aminu explained that in CITAD monthly report on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) said there was about 150% increase in reporting Gender-Based Violence in Kano in the month of May.

She said due to increased awareness and advocacies, victims have been reporting different types of violence using GBV App specifically designed for the purpose.

“In comparison with the data obtained in previous months, GBV cases are still on the increase. 85 cases were reported via our GBV App for the month which includes sexual harassment, online harassment, sexual abuse, and wife battering,” Zainab said.

According to her, GBV thrives only when all stakeholders keep quiet and allow it to fester.

While appealing to parents, relatives, and guardians to always report cases of GBV to relevant authorities or NGOs, she called on the government to ensure that laws are enacted to bring the perpetrators to justice.

She, therefore enjoined the general public to regard online violence just as any other violence that has negative consequences on the victims.

Zainab, therefore called on the government and relevant stakeholders to unite in the fight against crime by strengthening laws that will protect women and children against such heinous acts.

The gender desk officer equally enjoined women to break the silence by speaking out and reporting their cases to the appropriate authorities for necessary actions.

Gaya Emirate Pledges to Partner CITAD on Ending Gender-based Violence

Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) urged traditional leaders in Kano state to double effort in the fight against Gender Based Violence, especially in rural areas where some customs violates the human rights of women, young girls and boys.

 

The statement came from Buhari Abba as he led CITAD’s delegation to the palace of Emir of Gaya, His Highness, Alhaji (Dr) Aliyu Ibrahim Abdulkadir, in his palace on Monday.

 

Buhari Abba said CITAD with support from Ford Foundation recently conducted a survey in 22 local government areas in Kano State on violence against women and children and the results showed that the practice is on the rise. According to him, this negative outcome calls for deep involvement of the royal fathers across the state to curtail further happenings.

 

On his part the Emir of Gaya, His highness Alhaji (Dr) Aliyu Ibrahim Abdulkadir commended CITAD for its intervention in the fight against violence against women in the state saying that traditional rulers will continue to support this herculeen effort.

The Emir condemned all forms of violent practices against women and girls in the State, vowing to bring such to end.

 

He also assured that, his council will redouble its efforts to ensure violence against women, all forms of gender discrimination and harmful traditional practices come to an end in his emirate.

He added that everyone should understand that violence against women and girls is unacceptable and will no longer be tolerated.

 

Dr. Aliyu Ibrahim then called for collective efforts from authorities, including NGOs, to tackle violence and other social vices plaguing women and children in Kano state.

Gender-Based Violence cases still on increase, says CITAD

The Centre for Information Technology and Development, CITAD, expressed that based on their regular monitoring of Gender-Based Violence through CITAD’S Mobile GBV App revealed persistent occurrence of Gender-Based Violence, most especially the high number of sexual harassments.

In comparison with the data obtained in previous months, GBV cases are still on the increase.

35 cases were reported via the GBV App for the month which includes Rape, Sexual Harassment, Online Harassment, Sexual Abuse, Wife Battering and school violence.

While monitoring, CITAD received an anonymous tip as follows “Assalamu alaikum, my report is based on school violence, Report from Aminu Kano College of  Islamic and Legal Studies”, the report is between a lecturer and student, which he holds their exams despite the students have scaled through.

“This shows that violence in school needs to be given attention”.

Fatima Baba Kura, representative gender technical officer, said monitoring and reporting of these violence cases have increased awareness amongst individuals and the society at large.

“We hope to continue to intensify our efforts in creating more awareness in all areas and communities within the state.

“We would like to commend the efforts of all stakeholders in intensifying their effort to create awareness against GBV.

“While we continue to monitor, we will like to appeal to parents, relatives and others to always report cases to the various to either directly to us or to other sister NGOs as well as to government agencies such as National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), National Orientation Agency (NOA), Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons (NAPTIP) or Hisbah.

“GBV strives when we all keep quiet. We cannot win the battle against it unless every perpetrator is brought to the books” She said.

Fatima advised that keeping silent will not protect the victims who suffer. It encourages the perpetrators to take this silence as a stamp of acceptability.

However CITAD recommend the following towards fighting GBV

  • We urge the public to always report cases of GBV to the relevant authorities.
  • We call on the government to intensify efforts to put laws that protect individuals against GBV in place so that perpetrators can desist from such acts.
  • Online violence is on the increase, we recommend the public to be aware that violence online is not acceptable.
  • We urge school authorities to constitute a team of observers that will monitor and report GBV.
  • We also call on teachers/lecturers to uphold their duty towards the students in their care. As Teachers, they need to protect such students and not violate them.

Report On 2022 International Girls in ICT Day Celebration

Girls are poorly placed to benefit from the knowledge economy in developing countries. As such they have less access to skills training and development that would enable them to gain employment in the ICT sector. When females are employed, they generally work at lower levels, with less pay and this discourages them from participating optimally in science and technology education. These disadvantages further prevent girls and women from benefitting equally from the opportunities offered by the new technologies that would enable them to participate in the knowledge economy.

 

Concerned about the decline in the number of school girls opting to study technology-related disciplines and who work in technology focused organizations in most countries worldwide, 28th of April 2022, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) in collaboration with Dala Ina Mafita organised an awareness programme to mark the International Girls in ICT Day. The event was held at the Guidance Standard School, Goron Dutse, Kano. The participants were girls from different community-based associations as well as students of public secondary schools in the state.

 

Observed in more than 166 countries across the globe, the Day, an initiative of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the International Girls-in-ICT Day was backed by all ITU members.

 

The Day was aimed at creating global environment that empowers and encourages girls and young women to consider careers in the field of information and communications technology (ICT).

 

Access and Safety was selected as the 2022 thematic priority as part of the initial step for girls to be able to access the digital environment in a safe way. 

 

Speaking at the event, CITAD Executive Director representative Malam Ahmad Abdullahi Yakasai, said the Centre partnered with the organisers to expose participants to the various career opportunities available in the ICT sector, apart from encouraging them to aspire to such jobs.

 

Yakasai, told the participants who were drawn from different communities in Kano that the world now revolved around ICT and that the future holds a lot of promises for them should they go into the ICT sector.

 

CITAD Gender Officer Zainab Aminu, said that while significant progress has been achieved with increasing the participation of girls in the gender gap in ICT remains unacceptably wide, with representation continuing to be disproportionately higher for males than for females, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

 

Zainab, expressed concern that the gap was even wider in Nigeria, relative to countries like Ghana and South Africa. She reaffirmed that investment in early ICT education, affirmative action on the hiring of women in STEM and a reorientation to change the sociocultural beliefs and practices that deter women’s participation in STEM, as approaches that should be explored to reduce this gap.

 

The Chairperson of International Federation of Women Lawyers – FIDA, Kano State Branch, Barr. Bilkisu Ibrahim Sulaiman, noted that the global event presented a platform for various stakeholders to not only highlight the gender digital divide but proffer solutions and build partnerships that will help accelerate the movement towards the increased involvement of girls in ICT. She expressed appreciation for CITAD in continuous support for the Girls in ICT initiative and commended the CITAD sensitization lecture which will provide an opportunity for girls to gain a first-hand experience of working in the ICT sector.

 

Next was an interactive session with Engr. Kamaluddeen Umar leading the session, said empowering girls to choose a career in ICTs is not just good for girls and their families, it can be a major accelerator of socio-economic development at the national level.

 

According to him, the Day serves to inspire both government and the private sector to find ways to equip girls and young women with the skills they need to become ICT professionals.

 

At end of the sensitization participants asked some questions relating to the presentations made and they fed their curiosity. 

 

 

  

 

 

Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) organised a conference on the issues of technology-assisted gender violence, as the way in which technology is deployed specifically to harm women and girls, including harassment online, rape, kidnapping and killing facilitated via interaction and use of digital technology

Within the past two weeks, the organization has recorded two very disturbing contents on the internet, both of which degrade and dehumanise women and the individuals involved.

The first was a posting of sexual escape of students of Chrisland, Lagos in faraway Dubai which went viral, leading to the suspension of academic activities in the school. While the second concerned a lady in Ado-Ekiti who was invited to a hotel room by her friend who had arranged with his three accomplices, gang-raped her and also posted the act on the internet.

A third case was a lady who was kidnapped for money, it occurred earlier last month in Abuja when a man on social media invited her to his hotel, kidnapped her and demanded 50 Million ransom from her parents.

In a speech delivered by Engr. Yunusa Zakari Ya’u, Executive Director of Centre for Information Technology and Development noted that, there have been many other such cases in which social media friends lured their female friends only to rape them and in some instances, kill them to cover up the crime.

“Cases of young girls falling victims of this technology assisted crime have been on the rise and are contributing negatively to the efforts to address and overcome the gender dimension of the digital divide in the country, which casts women on the negative side of the divide and making it difficult for them to access and make use of the opportunities and benefits digital technology offers for educational advancement, economic empowerment and social inclusion.

“CITAD has for the past five years been engaged in monitoring and countering gender violence online and take this very serious, because we have in an earlier research found that gender-based violence online has been a major factor inhibiting factor for the effective use of digital spaces by girls and women in the country as they have internalised the fear that harmful content online has induced in them”. He said.

Eng. Yunusa further explained that harmful content online is targeted at female politicians and women in careers such as female journalists and academics, with the aim of discouraging them from those spaces, thus furthering their marginalization in those spheres.

Women are cyberphobia as result of gender violence – CITAD

In addition, parents and husbands are also using the same excuse to prevent their daughters and wives from using the internet. Unfortunately, in the world we live today, we must all make use of the internet.

Eng. Yunusa revealed that the country and society that suffer from this criminal misappropriation of the powers of the internet. As learning, commerce, social interactions and government services move online.

Women constitute slightly more than half of the population of the country, as the majority of these women are remaining offline as a result of gender violence online and other harmful contents, which means that a large population of Nigerians are left behind.

“In this situation, Nigeria cannot achieve the sustainable development goals as most of them require effective deployment and use of the internet.

“Girls are at a disadvantage in getting admission to higher education because they have been prevented from learning to use digital skills which are necessary for passing the entrance examinations to the higher institutions in the country.

“Yet here in the North we complain of a lack of sufficient number of female doctors and other health related professionals, even when we deny girls the opportunity to learn digital skills to gain admission to study for the medical profession”. He added.

Women are the majority of citizens who are identity excluded in Nigeria and consequently also financial services excluded, making it difficult for them to access financial services and progress in business.

Lack of identity also is inhibiting their ability to exercise their freedom of movement as some important modes of travel cannot convey people without authenticated identity.

Technology as National threat to gender – CITAD

The Centre for Information Technology and Development confirmed that technology assisted gender violence online making it a serious national problem that the government has to consider and take necessary means to address it.

The Executive Director expressed their empanelling of a Committee by the Federal Government to study and propose solutions to ensuring the protection of children online.

CITAD recommend solutions to technology-assisted gender violence

In this respect CITAD will like to call on the federal government as well as state governments to as a matter of national urgency:

Set up a panel to study and propose solutions to technology-assisted gender violence, including proposing legislations on how to deal with it. In making this call, we would like to caution against throwing the baby with the bathwater. Government should not use this as an opportunity to inhibit access to the internet for citizens but rather improve on how citizens are able to access and safely use the internet.

The Federal Government should incorporate safety and privacy online in the computer studies curriculum of secondary schools. In this way, computer studies can then not just be done to get a credit for admission to higher institutions but also to get life skills that will prepare the students for successful immersion into the digital world.

While we have made computer studies compulsory at secondary schools, we have not incorporated safety issues in the curriculum. These gaps should be addressed quickly because learning computer studies is not just for passing examinations but to gain skills that are needed to fit into the digital world of today.

Lot of the criminal uses of the internet is related to poor understanding of digital rights. In particular, the government itself has not shown proper appreciation of the importance of digital rights. Without a bill of digital rights, the use of the digital space can be counterproductive as we see it now. In this respect, the National Assembly should quickly pass the Digital Rights Bill and the President should sign it.

The federal government should also come up with a national digital inclusion agenda that will address the many challenges that inhibit the effective access to and use of the internet. This will contribute greatly in addressing the various dimensions of the internal digital divide in the country.

TIME TO TAME THE MENACE OF TECHNOLOGY-ASSISTED GENDER VIOLENCE

Text of press conference addressed by Y. Z. Yaú, Executive Director, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) on Wednesday, May 4, 2022 at CITAD, Kano

 

Members of the press, I welcome you to this press conference on an issue of national importance. This is the issues of technology-assisted gender violence. By technology-assisted gender violence we mean the way in which technology is deployed specifically to harm women and girls, including harassment online, rape, kidnapping and killing facilitated via interaction and use of digital technology. 

Within the past two weeks, we have two very disturbing contents on the internet, both of which degrade and dehumanise women and the individuals involved. The first was a posting of sexual escape of students of Chrisland, Lagos in faraway Dubai which went viral, leading to the suspension of academic activities in the school. The second concerned a lady in Ado-Ekiti who was invited her to a hotel room by her friend who had arranged with his three other friends and not only gang-raped her but also posted the act on the internet. A third case in which a lady was kidnapped for money occurred earlier last month in Abuja when a man the lady befriended on social media invited her to his hotel, only for him and his friends to kidnap her, demanding N50million from her parents as ransom.  There have been many other such cases in which social media friends lured their female friends only to rape them and in some instances, kill them to cover up the crime. 

Cases of young girls falling victims of this technology assisted crime have been on the rise and are contributing negatively to the efforts to address and overcome the gender dimension of the digital divide in the country, which casts women on the negative side of the divide and making it difficult for them to access and make use of the opportunities and benefits digital technology offers for educational advancement, economic empowerment and social inclusion. 

CITAD has for the past five years been engaged in monitoring and countering gender violence online and take this very serious, because we have in an earlier research found that gender-based violence online has been a major factor inhibiting factor for the effective use of digital spaces by girls and women in the country as they have internalised the fear that harmful content online has induced in them. In another research, we found that harmful content online is targeted at female politicians and women in career such as female journalists and academics, with the aim of discouraging them from those spaces, thus furthering their marginalization in those spheres. For example, female politicians are subjected to social media abuse and intimidation and that in many of cases, they were forced to drop out of contesting of elections because of this. In addition, parents and husbands are also using the same excuse to prevent their daughters and wives from using the internet. Unfortunately, in the world we live today, we must all make use of the internet. 

In all these cases, it is the country and society that suffer from this criminal misappropriation of the powers of the internet. As learning, commerce, social interactions and government services move online, it means that those left behind digitally or are unable to access and use the internet, will equally be left behind in those other spheres. Women constitute slightly more than half of the population of the country. As majority of these women are remaining offline as a result of gender violence online and other harmful contents, it means that a large population of Nigerians is left behind. In this situation, Nigeria cannot achieve the sustainable development goals as most of them require effective deployment and use of the internet. Girls are at disadvantage in getting admission to higher education because they have been prevented from learning to use digital skills which are necessary for passing the entrance examinations to the higher institutions in the country. Yet here in the North we complain of lack of sufficient number of female doctors and other health related professionals, even when we deny girls the opportunity to learn digital skills to gain admission to study for medical profession. Women are the majority of citizens who are identity excluded in Nigeria and consequently also financial services excluded, making it difficult for them to access financial services and progress in business. Lack of identity also is inhibiting their ability to exercise their freedom of movement as some important modes of travel cannot convey people without authenticated identity. 

It is for these reason that we at CITAD takes the issue of technology-assisted gender violence online as a serious national problem, that the government has to consider and take necessary means to address it.  We note the recent empanelling of a Committee by the Federal Government to study and propose solutions to ensuring the protection of children online. While we welcome this action, we would like government to also consider and act in the same manner with respect to gender violence online. It is important to reflect that technology-assisted gender violence is pernicious as it is not easily visible, making the victims to suffer doubly as victims of violence and as victims of stigmatization when they report and make their suffering public. This is why victims do not report, allowing themselves to suffer in silence. 

In this respect CITAD will like to call on the federal government as well as state governments to as a matter of national urgency:

  1. Set up a panel to study and propose solutions to technology-assisted gender violence, including proposing legislations on how to deal with it. In making this call, we would like to caution against throwing the baby with the bathwater. Government should not use this as an opportunity to inhibiting access to the internet for citizens but rather improve on how citizens are able to access and safely use the internet. 
  2. The Federal Government should incorporate safety and privacy online in the computer studies curriculum of secondary schools. In this way, computer studies can then not be just done to get a credit for admission to higher institutions but also to get life skills that will prepare the students for successful emersion into the digital world. While we have made computer studies compulsory at secondary schools, we have not incorporated safety issues in the curriculum. This gaps should be addressed quickly because learning computer studies is not just for passing examinations but to gain skills that are needed to fit into the digital world of today.
  3. Lot of the criminal uses of the internet is relating to poor understanding of digital rights. In particular, government itself has not shown proper appreciation of the importance of digital rights. Without a bill of digital rights, the use of the digital space can be counterproductive as we see it now. In this respect, the National Assembly should quickly pass the Digital Rights Bill and the President should sign it.
  4. The federal government should also come up with a national digital inclusion agenda that will address the many challenges that inhibit the effective access to and use of the internet. This will contribute greatly in addressing the various dimensions of the internal digital divide in the country. 

 

Report of Sensitization Lecture On Gender-Based Violence at Saadatu Rimi College of Education Kano

Every March 8, Nigerian women join the rest of the world to celebrate the International Women’s Day (IWD). In Kano state, A Non-Governmental Organization working to Prevent Gender-Based Violence in Kano,

the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), organized a one-day sensitization lecture on Gender-based violence to the students of Kano State College of Education (Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education), to commemorate the 2022 IWD.
International Women’s Day, celebrated annually on March 8 – is a day that commemorates the social, political and economic achievements of women as well as creating awareness on issues that affect women and girls and to proffer solutions to them.
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is: “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.”

This year’s campaign is represented by the #BreakTheBias hashtag and calls on people towork towards a world that is equitable, inclusive, and free from bias and discrimination against women.
Zainab Aminu who is Gender Officer of CITAD, presented a paper titled “Concept of Gender-Based Violence” she congratulated women all over the world on the day, reminded them of the need to use the occasion to create awareness on sexual and gender based violence issues with the aim of finding a lasting solution.
According to her, the sensitization lecture was a call to action for all stakeholders on the mission, to eliminate all forms of gender-based violence in Kano state.
It is important to raising awareness and sensitization, prioritizing access to safe learning environment,and changing negative norms and harmful beliefs about gender roles that reinforce the ugly practice, Zainab said.
She added that Gender-based violence is a universal problem, and the solution to the problem requires awareness, sensitization and all stakeholders to work together in addressing the problem.
Miss Zainab went further to say the scale of sexual gender-based violence, violence against women and
girls and discrimination is alarming. The spike, pattern, trends, and the consequences of these forms of
violence impact negatively on individuals, families, communities, and the state in general".
On his remarks, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Boss, Kano Zonal office, Mal. Abdullahi
expressed that people who experience gender violence suffered from different human rights violations –
like right to life, freedom from torture and degrading treatment, freedom from discrimination and the
right to safety and security.
He added that NHRC is using a range of innovative measures to defend the rights of women and girls in
its campaign to end sexual and gender based violence in Nigeria.

Abdullahi added that in promoting awareness, the NHRC is supporting the production of ‘State of
Human Rights’, a weekly television programme that covers key human rights issues and progress made
so far in Nigeria, as well as increasing their presence on social media. View clips from ‘State of Human
Rights’ on Twitter.
He also urged parents, religious institutions, community members and the media to encourage victims
to speak out on cases of abuse or violence.
Dr. Bashir Sani, who is the Director Guidance and Counseling of the college said that Sa’adatu Rimi
College of Education had well-articulated and clear rules and regulations.
He explained that the rules and regulations provided an environment that was safe, non-discriminatory,
non-exploitative and free from harassment and sexual assault.
He also urged the participants to use the knowledge learned during the session and give same to their
communities.
On his part, the Dean, students affairs of the College, Malam Rabi'u Muhammad said that the college is
ready to partner with CITAD to sensitize students on all matters pertaining to women and young girls.
He also asked CITAD to re-organize such sensitization lecture next year in the college.
Muhammad, also commended CITAD for organizing the sensitization lecture, saying, it was timely and
college management are committed to partnering with centre for information technology and
development towards achieving the common goal.
Students from different departments of the college attended the sensitization lecture, asking questions
and making contributions to the presentation.

PICTURES FROM THE EVENT

NHRC Zonal Director, Making his speech.

Cross-view of participants

NGO Expresses Concern Over Increased Gender-Violence In Kano

By Rabiu Musa

HOTPEN – A Non-Governmental Organization, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), has expressed concern over statistics in Kano which indicated that gender-based violence reigns high in the state.

The organization said the statistics about the increase in gender-based violence in Kano has grown in alarming proportion hence, the need for all hands to be on deck to combat the menace.

The Gender Program Officer of the Center,  Zainab Aminu, raised the concern while addressing newsmen on Thursday in Kano.

According to her, the data collected in the Month of February through Centre’s GBV Mobile App depicts the persistent occurrence of Gender-Based Violence, most especially the high number of sexual harassments.

She said “In comparison with the data obtained in previous months, GBV cases are still being perpetrated”, adding that 15 cases were reported via our GBV App for the month of February which includes Rape, Sexual Harassment, Wife Battering and others”.

“It is in view of this that we urge the state government to adopt laws to protect women and girls, and as well establish Referral Centers and Forensic Centers for victims”

“We would like to commend the efforts of our traditional and religious leaders and all stakeholders in intensifying their effort to create awareness against GBV”.

Zainab further appeals to parents, relatives and others to always report cases either directly to the centre or to other sister NGOs as well as to government agencies such as National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), National Orientation Agency (NOA), Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons (NAPTIP) or Hisbah.

“GBV strives when we all keep quiet. We cannot win the battle against it unless every perpetrator is brought to the book”.

PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE NEED TO ADDRESS GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN KANO STATE BY THE CENTRE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT (CITAD) ON THE 10TH OF MARCH, 2022

Ladies and gentlemen, the Executive Director, I and the entire GBV Project Team are very pleased to welcome you to our February Edition press conference. Based on our regular data analysis, and in line with our forward guidance, our monthly press conference continues report data collected on our GBV Mobile App.
The Data Collection strategies we apply are as follows:
1. The use of CITAD GBV App for people to report incidences. The App is available on Play Store
for Android and IOS. It can be downloaded by anyone and cases can be reported anonymously.

2. The use of monitors in tertiary institutions in the state as well as within communities.
3. Cooperation and sharing of data with various agencies in obtaining data and working hand-in-
hand to curb GBV.
4. Sensitization activities and awareness creation by trained champions within the communities.
Also, to provide a safe space for young girls to report cases and threat as well learn how to protect
themselves at the same time have opportunity for personalized counselling to deal with the trauma.
We have set up two safe-spaces for learning and creativity in some schools that are to serve a cluster
11 schools where we hold ICT Classes to enable the students have the required basic skills to operate
computers, monitor and report GBV cases within the school environment. We have also positioned a
number of highly accomplished women professional as mentors who are available both on-site and
off-site to listen to the girls and other victims for counselling and support to overcome the trauma.
We will now report on the outcome of our monthly monitoring activities of Gender Based Violence. As
usual, let me start with the Data Presentation.

The table below shows data collected for the month of February 2022:

The data above depicts the persistent occurrence of Gender-Based Violence, most especially the high
number of sexual harassments. The cases of Rape, and other GBV, even though under-reported still
calls for action.
In comparison with the data obtained in previous months, GBV cases are still being perpetrated. 15
cases were reported via our GBV App for the month which includes Rape, Sexual Harassment, Wife
Battering and others.
It is in view of this that we urge the state government to adopt laws to protect women and girls, and
as well establish Referral Centers and Forensic Centers for victims.
We would like to commend the efforts of our traditional and religious leaders and all stakeholders in
intensifying their effort to create awareness against GBV.
While we continue to monitor, we will like to appeal to parents, relatives and others to always report
cases to the various to either directly to us or to other sister NGOs as well as to government agencies
such as National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), National Orientation Agency (NOA), Nigerian
Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In
Persons (NAPTIP) or Hisbah. GBV strives when we all keep quiet. We cannot win the battle against it
unless every perpetrator is brought to the books.
Keeping silent will not protect the victims who suffer. It encourages the perpetrators to take this
silence as a stamp of acceptability.
We are now at your disposal for questions.

Zainab Aminu 
Gender Project Program Officer