The COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C-19RM), implemented by ACOMIN, has convened its Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Quarterly Coordination Meeting in Kano State to review community-level interventions for Quarter 8.
The meeting focused on highlighting outcomes of GBV prevention and response activities carried out across selected communities and health facilities in the state, while also identifying challenges and strategies for strengthening GBV case management.
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During the session, ACOMIN case managers, including Zainab Wali Ado (Gwale), Zulaiha Ibrahim (Fagge), Jamila Ahmad (Kumbotso), and Zainab (Dala LGA), presented key findings from their engagements.
They shared data on the number of people reached through outreach and sensitisation activities, as well as the challenges encountered during implementation.
The case managers explained that their interventions covered Islamiyya and Tsangaya schools, primary healthcare centres (PHCs), and women’s training centres, among others, through which thousands of community members were sensitised on GBV prevention, reporting mechanisms, and available support services.
Speaking at the meeting, Abashiyya Maiwada Lawal, a legal practitioner and Assistant Publicity Secretary of the International Federation of Female Lawyers (FIDA), Kano branch, described the level of GBV in Kano State as “high,” estimating prevalence at between 70 and 80 per cent.
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She identified underreporting of cases and failure to pursue reported cases to a logical conclusion as major challenges. According to her, increased community awareness remains key to addressing the problem.
“Hiding these cases is not a way out. Reporting is the only way forward, because it serves as a deterrent to perpetrators,” she said, adding that continuous engagement with case managers and plans to strengthen paralegals and case managers are priorities ahead of 2026.
Additionally, Jakada Abubakar Sambo of the Dala Community Health Association noted that community-based organisations (CBOs) work closely with ACOMIN case managers during GBV outreach activities.
He explained that communities are sensitised, cases are identified and handed over to case managers for investigation, and subsequently referred to relevant authorities for prosecution.
“We also follow up cases in courts to ensure they reach a logical conclusion,”
Earlier in her remarks, the Head of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) at the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Kano Command, Hajiya Rasheedat Aminu, emphasised the need for continuous capacity building for GBV case managers to enhance effective response.
Other speakers at the meeting included Dr Nura Haladu, ACOMIN State Chair, ACOMIN Kano State Programme Officer, and Huzaifah Ibrahim Ahmed, all of whom reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening coordination, capacity, and community engagement in the fight against GBV in Kano State.