Lux Terra Leadership Foundation with support from Ford Foundation trained and commissioned new sets of advocates during a series of three separate workshops on the elimination of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). The workshops held from January 22 to February 9, 2024 and were attended by 123 Christian religious and community stakeholders comprising 64 male and 59 female participants – including persons with disabilities – who are pastors, priests and reverend sisters, and lay leaders from various Christian religious communities and organisations.

Addressing the participants at the workshops, the Executive Director of Lux Terra, Fr George Ehusani, recognized the corrosive effect of SGBV on the overall wellbeing of a human person and the negative impact SGBV has on the society. He described the principal objectives of the workshops as “exploring with clerical and lay leaders in Christian religious organisations and communities across Nigeria, awareness raising interventions for critical attitudinal and behavioural change, as well as policy advocacy mechanisms to respond urgently and fittingly to what has become an alarming degree of sexual and gender-based violence in Nigeria.”

The project coordinator, Prof Taiwo Abioye, also charged the participants to approach the workshops with an advocacy mindset since they would be required to “engage in post-training step-down activities such as spreading the message through the delivery of sermons, talks, workshops and conference presentations”.

The week-long workshops featured sessions on understanding SGBV, situating the issues and solutions to SGBV from the participants’ experiences and views, responding to SGBV in society through legal advocacy, strategic communication, and action planning, among others.

The 123 Christian stakeholders at the workshops made public declarations by taking and signing personal pledges not to be complicit in acts that amount to sexual and gender-based violence but to work towards eliminating such acts.