Conflict-related Sexual Violence and Gender-Based Violence Prevention

Our role in Nigeria focused on understanding the abduction and forced marriage of women and girls by Boko Haram during the North-East crisis. We conducted in-depth qualitative research with survivors, both male and female, and created a clearinghouse of existing documentation and NGO reports on femininities and masculinities. This work produced two major knowledge products: the Nigeria Country Report – https://csiw-ectg.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Nigeria-Report.pdf, which captured survivors’ journeys from abduction and captivity to reintegration, and the Justice Survey Report – https://csiw-ectg.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Nigeria-Justice-Survey-Report-March.18.2021-Final.pdf, which explored how communities and institutions perceive justice for SGBV crimes and identified pathways for stronger legal and social support systems.

In 2021, the dRPC, with funding from the Ford Foundation and in collaboration with the Global Survivors Fund (GSF) and the Conjugal Slavery in War (CSiW) Partnership, worked to elevate the importance of survivors’ agency and voices. Together with grassroots organizations from 12 African countries—Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Chad, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Uganda—and the panel supporting the Democratic Republic of Congo’s presidency at the African Union, they organized a Survivor Hearing on Reparations. The hearing provided a dedicated platform for survivors of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV) to share their testimonies, perspectives, and reflections on reparations, with a strong emphasis on participation and the co-creation of survivor-centered reparation programs.

Four key activities were conducted: a) Pre-hearing Consultations with the Survivors of Conflict-related Sexual Violence; b) Kinshasa Survivors’ Hearing on Reparation; c) Post Hearing Validation Meetings and d) Finalization of the Kinshasa Declaration.

The Kinshasa Declaration on the Right to Reparation and Co-Creation by Survivors and Victims of Conflict-Related Sexual and Gender-Based Violence was developed from the Kinshasa Principles, which survivors articulated during the Survivors’ Hearing on Reparations held in November 2021 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Kinshasa Declaration was launched at a side event of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights’ 73rd session in Banjul in October 2022, cohosted by GSF and REDRESS, and moderated and led by survivors who had participated in the declaration development process. The survivor-led format was successful and is now referred to with partners as the “Banjul model”. During this event, commissioners, survivors, and other participants discussed the importance of effective reparation for survivors across Africa and the need to adopt a process of co-creation throughout the development and implementation of reparations programs – https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/torture/sr/cfis/cfi-ga79/subm-identifying-documenting-investigating-cso-global-survivors-fund-annex.pdf.

Building on this experience, dRPC implemented the Global Reparations Study (GRS) in Nigeria between October 2023 and December 2024, with funding from the Global Survivors Fund. This national study sought to amplify survivors’ voices and document their perspectives on reparations—individual, collective, and interim. It aimed to increase awareness of the right to reparation, deepen understanding of survivors’ needs, and lay the groundwork for survivor-centred reparations programmes. The findings, compiled in the Nigeria Reparations Study Report, are set for dissemination in 2025.

Our work also recognizes the crucial role of religious leadership in shaping social norms. Through the Transforming Muslim Opinion Leaders (MOLs) as Champions for GBV Prevention and Response in Northern Nigeria project, funded by the Ford Foundation, we are equipping influential Muslim leaders with the knowledge and tools to challenge harmful practices and promote gender equality from within the framework of Islamic teachings. The project, designed to address the increasing rates of GBV identified by the dRPC in a 2023 baseline study, builds upon 20 years of dRPC’s work engaging MOLs, strengthening and positioning them to communicate, advocate for, and model change to prevent GBV. Over two years, twenty-four leaders from Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, and Zamfara States are participating in peer-learning exchanges, study tours, and community outreach, with the goal of influencing policy, strengthening Sharia bureaucracy engagement, and ensuring GBV prevention measures are culturally resonant and sustainable.

This work has already recorded a major achievement. In November 2024, dRPC hosted a sensitization seminar for Sharia Court judges from Kano and Kaduna on preventing harm to women and girls. The discussions prompted the Grand Khadi of Kano State to issue a new Practice Direction in February 2025, reforming how Sharia Courts handle cases of physical or verbal maltreatment in marriage. Under the new guidance, such cases can no longer be summarily dismissed due to lack of witnesses, removing a significant barrier to justice for women in private marital disputes.

Another significant achievement is the message that is spread by Muslim Scholars sensitized by the MOLs in March 2025. The Muslim Scholars are using their platforms to cascade the messages to their followers across various mosques and platforms:

• Sheikh Marooph Raji, during a Tafsir session at the NAFSAT Headquarters Mosque in Abuja on March 3, 2025, spoke extensively on the status of women in Islam. He emphasized the respect and rights granted to women in Islam, stressing the importance of upholding these values in everyday life (https://youtu.be/TlE_ToFwusc?si=KSmFyM46oKTS2QK2) .
• In a virtual Ramadan session on March 14, 2025, another MOL, Sheikh Abdussalam Abubakar Baban Gwale, addressed the sensitive topic of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). He clarified that while FGM is not commonly practiced in Northern Nigeria, it is prohibited (haram) in Islam wherever it occurs—debunking harmful misconceptions that may persist in some communities.
• Sheikh Tahir Baba, Chief Imam of Mairago Mosque in Unguwar Kyauta, Kaduna, in two Tafsir sessions held on March 3 and 26, 2025, urged men to fulfill their responsibilities toward their families as prescribed by Islamic teachings. He warned that the growing prevalence of violence and neglect within families is contributing to societal breakdown and moral decay—outcomes that run counter to the values of Islam.
• Imam Sani Umar of Takai Mosque, Takai Local Government Area, Kano, delivered a strong message during his Tafsir session on March 3, 2025, emphasizing that Islam condemns all forms of Gender-Based Violence (GBV). He noted that the punishment for rape in Islam is death, not imprisonment—underscoring the severity of the offense and Islam’s strong stance on protecting human dignity.
• Muhammad Rabiu Saad, the Chief of Bayero University Kano (New Site), delivered a sermon on the need for the Muslim Umma to do more in protecting their girl child from abuses. He cautioned against giving tasks that will endanger their lives. The sermon was delivered on 18^th July 2025.

Between 2022 and 2024, the development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC)  with the support of  ALIGN (Advancing Learning and Innovation on Gender Norms) platform, conducted an in-depth study titled “Gender Norms, Media Narratives and Women in Appointive Positions in Nigeria.” This research explored how deep-rooted societal gender norms influence media portrayals of women serving in appointed, non-elective public roles. Using a combination of comparative media content analysis at the national level and in-depth interviews with female appointees and their colleagues across five Nigerian states, the study unearthed how the media frequently frames these women as weak, incompetent, or lacking credibility contrasting sharply with the more neutral tone adopted for their male counterparts.

Beyond surface-level disparities, the study highlighted regional nuances: in Northern Nigeria, traditional cultural and religious norms compel women to rely on male networks to access leadership roles, whereas in Southern states, women more often leverage confidence and societal institutions to navigate public office. Across both regions, pervasive structural and cultural biases including gendered harassment, heightened scrutiny, and discriminatory expectations by male superiors pose significant barriers to the acceptance and progress of female appointees.

As a result of this research, one of the key recommendations led to the EmpowerHer Media Initiative, which secured funding from USAID  in 2024 as part of the strategy to address the findings. This initiative was designed to counter biased media narratives, promote positive portrayals of women in appointive positions, and strengthen public support for women’s leadership in Nigeria.

The organization is also co-leading a multicountry research initiative, titled “Political Parties’ Responses to Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TF-GBV)”, under the ALIGN (Advancing Learning and Innovation on Gender Norms) platform, funded by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI). Launched in November 2024, this project investigates how social and gender norms influence political parties’ reactions to the growing threat of online gender-based violence—such as harassment, cyberstalking, doxxing, and other forms of digital abuse—targeting women in elective position. It employs a mixed-methods approach, including interviews, policy reviews, and digital data analysis. In Brazil, Data-Pop Alliance leads the implementation, while in Nigeria, dRPC spearheads the research, ensuring both country-specific insights and opportunities for cross-country learning.

At its core, the initiative aims to generate evidence-based recommendations that help political parties, digital platforms, and regulatory frameworks evolve toward safer and more inclusive political spaces for women. Preliminary findings in Nigeria reveal that most political parties lack internal mechanisms to handle TF-GBV, and many women hesitate to report incidents due to stigma or fear of political repercussions. This research illuminates these gaps.