FG, EU, International IDEA move to curb rising abuse in Nigerian schools

Concerned by the rising incidence of school-related gender-based violence and the difficulties survivors face in obtaining justice, key actors in Nigeria’s justice, education and child protection sectors have launched fresh efforts to strengthen the prosecution of offenders and improve institutional responses to cases involving children.

The renewed push formed the focus of the First Training of Trainers Workshop on the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Legal Pathway for the Prosecution of Perpetrators of School-Related Gender-Based Violence, held on Tuesday in Abuja.

Schools, long regarded as safe havens where children learn, grow and prepare for the future, are increasingly becoming spaces where many young Nigerians experience abuse, exploitation and violence, stakeholders have warned.

The workshop was organised under the European Union (EU) Support to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (ESGBV) Programme, implemented by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice.

 It brought together representatives of the Federal Ministries of Justice, Education and Women Affairs, the Nigeria Police Force, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), civil society organisations and other actors involved in child protection and access to justice.

Delivering remarks on behalf of International IDEA, the GBV Policy and Strategy Development Specialist for the ESGBV Programme, Ms Melissa Omene, described school-related gender-based violence as one of the most pressing challenges confronting Nigeria’s education sector, noting that children continue to face sexual harassment, abuse, exploitation, bullying, corporal punishment, technology-facilitated violence and other harmful practices within school environments.

“SR-GBV remains a deeply concerning reality within Nigeria’s education system, affecting children at both basic and secondary levels,” she said. “Recent studies reveal that 18 per cent of sexual violence incidents occur in schools, and 25 per cent of children report corporal punishment by teachers. Beyond statistics, these are lived experiences that disrupt safety, dignity, learning and long-term wellbeing.”

According to her, survivors often suffer lasting emotional, psychological and educational consequences, with girls and other vulnerable groups bearing a disproportionate burden. “Girls and other vulnerable groups bear a disproportionate burden, making our collective response both a professional obligation and a moral imperative,” she stated.

Omene noted that while the Federal Ministries of Justice and Education developed Standard Operating Procedures in 2024 to guide reporting, referral, case management and prosecution of such cases, gaps in awareness and consistent application had limited the framework’s impact.

The training, she explained, was designed to equip participants with the practical skills needed to strengthen accountability and ensure more effective responses.

“Strengthening the legal pathway for prosecution is also about reinforcing accountability. It sends a clear message that acts of violence, especially those affecting children in school settings, will not be tolerated, and that institutions are prepared to respond with professionalism and due process,” she added.

She said the EU-funded ESGBV Programme, a four-year initiative running from 2025 to 2029, seeks to strengthen the implementation of legal and policy frameworks, improve survivors’ access to quality services and promote positive social norms aimed at reducing gender-based violence at the federal level, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and in the focal states of Benue, Oyo and Kaduna. She disclosed that suitable locations within hospitals in the FCT had already been identified for use as Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) and were undergoing assessment.

In her welcome address, the Head of the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Response Unit at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Yewande Gbola-Awopetu, said every child deserved to learn in an environment free from violence, fear and intimidation, describing the SOP as a practical tool for strengthening accountability and ensuring a coordinated, professional response to perpetrators.

“Today, we gather not merely as professionals representing different institutions, but as partners united by a common purpose: the protection of children and the preservation of safe learning environments across Nigeria,” she said.

She added: “Every child enters a classroom with dreams, aspirations and the expectation of safety. When violence enters those spaces, it does more than disrupt education; it diminishes confidence, weakens trust in institutions and threatens the very foundation upon which young people build their futures. Behind every case file is a human story. Behind every report is a child seeking protection, dignity and justice.”

Gbola-Awopetu charged the participants, drawn from the justice, education and security sectors, to serve as catalysts for change within their institutions, stressing that “no child should have to choose between education and safety, and no survivor should be denied justice because systems are weak or responses are fragmented.”

Representing the Federal Ministry of Education, an Assistant Director at the ministry,  Apakasa Augustina, disclosed that the SOP document had been distributed to all 115 Unity Schools across the country, with principals engaged in its implementation.

She maintained that teachers and school administrators played a critical role in identifying, preventing and responding to abuse.

“There is no effective way to end gender-based violence without training school personnel, because schools are among the primary places where such cases are experienced and reported,” she said.

 “I am pleased to inform you that the Federal Ministry of Education has already distributed this document to all 115 Unity Schools across the country. As the teachers participating in this training return to their various schools, I am confident that they will not be able to say they have not heard about this document or its contents.”

Also speaking, the Executive Director of Protect the Child Foundation, Elizabeth Ebulejonu Achimugu, said many abuse cases failed to progress beyond the reporting stage because those who first received complaints often lacked adequate knowledge of legal procedures.

 She said participants were expected to transfer the knowledge acquired to colleagues within their agencies, while future phases of the programme would target teachers, caregivers and school personnel directly.

Stakeholders at the workshop expressed optimism that stronger collaboration among government agencies, schools, civil society organisations and law enforcement institutions would help close existing justice gaps, improve prosecution outcomes and create safer learning environments for children across the country.