Final Evaluation: Mobilizing Communities to end Sexual Based Violence Against Girls in Dushe local District of Abuja Municipal Area Council (Nigeria)

Author(s)/editor(s)

Kelli Henry & Olufunmilayo Oyerinde

Location: Nigeria

Grantee: Sexual Offences Awareness & Victims Rehabilitation (SOAR) Initiative

Grant Period: 1 March 2017 – 28 February 2019

Grant Amount: $115,412

From March 2017 to February 2019, the Sexual Offences Awareness & Victims Rehabilitation (SOAR) Initiative implemented the project “Mobilizing Communities to end Sexual Based Violence Against Girls in Dushe local District of Abuja Municipal Area Council” with funding from the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. The project was dedicated to preventing all forms of child sexual abuse and providing care and support for victims and survivors of violence. In consultation with other stakeholders, SOAR designed, implemented and operated a programme of awareness raising as well as skills and knowledge training interventions in six schools and two communities (Dushe and Wumba).

Main findings of the evaluation:

In Dushe and Wumba, all members of the Community-based Child Protection Committees (CCPCs) established by SOAR said the Committees had helped girls feel safer, while all members in Dushe and most in Wumba said that girls felt better supported as a result of the project.
All members of both CCPCs reported they could identify and respond to sexual-based violence against girls (SBVAG), and that the training received allowed them to refer survivors of violence to identified referral agencies.
All school staff from the six project schools reported that the programme had improved their school’s response to SBVAG, that the training had increased their understanding of the issue, and that working with the schoolgirls had improved their responsiveness to SBVAG.
Secondary beneficiaries, including school staff, changed their attitude and behaviour towards girls who had experienced sexual and gender-based violence, and changed their attitude about gender relations and women’s empowerment in their private lives.

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