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…Urge media to promote survivor-centred, ethical coverage
From Sola Ojo, Abuja
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), in collaboration with the European Union (EU) Support to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (ESGBV) Programme, has trained 40 journalists from Kaduna State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on ethical and survivor-centred reporting of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).
The 40 media practitioners, comprising 20 journalists each from Kaduna and the FCT, participated in a 2-day SGBV Media Corps Workshop organised by NAPTIP with support from the EU-funded ESGBV Programme, implemented by International IDEA.
The training aimed to enhance public engagement on SGBV by improving the quality, ethics, and coordination of media and community-based communication, while shifting reporting towards professional, evidence-based, and action-oriented coverage.
Speaking at the workshop, NAPTIP’s Head of Press and Public Relations, Mr Vincent Adekoye, urged journalists to take ownership of the fight against SGBV, believing that responsible media could play a decisive role in exposing perpetrators and protecting victims.
“What we need is a vibrant media,” Olukorede said. That’s why I’m so happy we’re having this training.
“As someone who has been in the field before, I want us to take over the case, take over the space by ourselves as journalists,” he said.
Adekoye disclosed that NAPTIP had secured three life imprisonment convictions in SGBV cases, but said intimidation, community pressure and attempts to settle rape cases outside the formal justice system remained major challenges.
“A child is raped, you come together as a community leader, you say you want to settle it, were you the one who was raped?
“Do you know the pain of being raped? No. And you say you are a community leader and you want to settle it?” he queried.
He also raised concerns over revenge porn and blackmail, saying some victims were lured into relationships before their private images were used to extort money from them.
“They will end up in relationships with some of these people who are pretending to be rendering one therapy or the other, and the same people will use it with this revenge porn,” he added.
Also speaking, Civil Society and Community Mobilisation Specialist with the ESGBV Programme, Wynyfred Achu-Egbuson, stated that the organisers expected the training to result in improved reporting of SGBV cases in Kaduna and the FCT.
Wynyfred said journalists were expected to produce reports that were survivor-centred and ethical, while helping the public understand the social, financial, emotional and psychological consequences of SGBV.
“So we hope to see reporting that is survivor-centred, reporting that is ethical, and reporting that helps people have a better understanding of what SGBV is,” she said.
She maintained that journalists had a critical role to play in reducing SGBV, particularly by connecting survivors with available support services.
“We want to see journalists in the FCT and Kaduna states who understand that they play a very critical role towards reducing incidences of sexual and gender-based violence in these two locations,” she said.
Meanwhile, she encouraged SGBV survivors to seek help, noting that medical facilities, trauma counselling and shelters supported by government and civil society organisations were available in Kaduna and the FCT.
“For survivors of SGBV, my first message would be to let them know that there are places where they can access services like psychological and trauma counselling,” she added.
She urged survivors who might be unable to directly access government agencies to also approach journalists, describing them as accessible links to available support services.
To her, “You do not need to fill a form to see a journalist, and they could help survivors connect with services to overcome the trauma from these incidents.”
The EU ESGBV programme is implemented in the FCT, Kaduna, Oyo and Benue states, with the broader objective of strengthening prevention, referral pathways, access to trusted information and positive social norm change around SGBV.
