The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to promoting gender justice and ending gender-based violence (GBV) through continued collaboration among traditional, religious and government leaders.
FIDA’s National Vice President, Mrs Eliana Martins, said this at the organisation’s second bi-annual shared learning forum for local gatekeepers (male folks) on gender-based violence prevention.
ThemomentNG reports that the forum, held in Ikeja, was supported by the Ford Foundation.
Martins said the second-year programme aimed to consolidate the progress made since the project’s inception in October 2024.
She noted that FIDA had successfully created platforms that encourage key community influencers to promote gender equality and challenge discriminatory norms.
“Through a series of dialogues held between October 2024 and May 2025, beneficiaries have been empowered to challenge harmful traditional, religious and gender norms that drive violence.
“They have also learned to leverage community resources to promote gender equality and justice,” she said.
Martins said the second-year forum sought to assess progress, strengthen networks, ensure sustained community and state-level actions against gender-based violence.
“We expect this shared learning event to translate dialogues into concrete actions through on-the-spot assessment of behavioural and attitudinal shifts among stakeholders.
“Religious and traditional leaders are expected not only to reinforce their shared commitment to gender justice but also to act as custodians of knowledge and agents of change within their localities.
“This forum will help build more inclusive, gender-sensitive communities and faith institutions that safeguard women and girls from violence and discrimination,” she said.
FIDA Project Manager, Mr Fikih Obaro, said the objective of the forum was to have a conversation on what FIDA had done and to ascertain clear understanding of GBV.
Obaro added that the forum was designed to provide platform for stakeholders to share their lessons on GBV.
“We want to know what works for stakeholders and the challenges they encounter while fighting against GBV,” he said.
The Vice Chairperson of FIDA, Ikeja Branch, Mrs Clara Mbachu, said the organisation had recorded significant progress in its ongoing campaign to curb GBV through community engagement and sensitisation.
Mbachu said the initiative, which started in 2024, focused on creating awareness and empowering community members, religious groups and institutions to take proactive steps toward preventing GBV.
“We started this project last year to address gender-based violence against women and girls.
“This year, we are sharing experiences to assess how much impact the campaign has had and how far the lessons have been applied.
She said the forum was designed to measure the knowledge gained by participants and how they had used it to educate others in their communities, workplaces and places of worship.
Mbachu said FIDA had received encouraging responses from churches, mosques and community leaders, who had intensified sensitisation and adopted preventive measures.
She added that FIDA’s major focus is prevention and not punishment.
According to her, churches, mosques, state actors and communities have been very cooperative.
She said: “They now know what to do when a case of gender-based violence occurs; the steps to take and the sanctions to apply.
“Religious bodies have also begun to include discussions on gender equality and non-violence in sermons and youth programmes, helping to reshape long-standing cultural perceptions that tolerate abuse.
“Violence against women and children does not make anyone a stronger person or the head of the home.
“It is only a weak person who uses violence as an expression because there are better ways to communicate and resolve conflicts.”
The lawyer urged the public to join hands in eradicating gender-based violence, noting that true strength is laid in peaceful dialogue and not aggression.
