BBYDI Programme Delivers Grassroots GBV Reporting Frameworks in Kwara

Communities across Kwara State have begun establishing their own gender-based violence (GBV) reporting systems, social charters, and marriage agreements following a two-year prevention programme by the Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative (BBYDI).

In one of the communities, 12 GBV cases have been formally reported, with 10 already resolved through newly created local mechanisms that were not in place just 18 months ago.

These outcomes were unveiled on Thursday during the second GBV Prevention Statewide Event held at the Kwara State Banquet Hall in Ilorin, organised by BBYDI. The event attracted over 200 participants, including 14 traditional rulers from across the state.

Over the course of the programme, BBYDI engaged first-class traditional rulers in 16 strategic sessions and conducted community workshops across Kwara’s three senatorial districts. In Alalubosa, the community Mogaji now leads a GBV reporting desk, while a binding marriage agreement outlines sanctions against spousal violence. Similarly, in Agbarere and Ganmo, locally developed social charters—endorsed by religious, youth, and women leaders—now guide how GBV cases are addressed.

At the event, BBYDI launched a Yoruba-language version of its GBV Prevention Advocacy Toolkit. The English edition, which featured a foreword by the Emir of Ilorin, was published last year following requests for a local-language version at the inaugural statewide event in 2025.

Representing the Kwara State Governor, the Commissioner for Social Development, Hajiya Mariam Nnafatima Imam, PhD, attended the event, while Dr. Usman Atolagbe Abubakar Jos, the Balogun Alanamu of Ilorin Emirate, stood in for the Emir of Ilorin.

Speaking at the event, Izeduwa Derex-Briggs, Programme Officer for Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Justice at the Ford Foundation’s West Africa office, emphasized the organisation’s focus on prevention rather than response. She noted that the foundation is committed to stopping GBV before it occurs.

In her keynote address, Prof. Saudat Salah Abdulbaqi, Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Information Sciences, University of Ilorin, urged traditional leaders to take proactive roles in addressing GBV, stressing that many survivors first seek help within their communities. She added that leadership attitudes play a critical role in shaping societal norms.

BBYDI also showcased its AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot, KEMI, designed to support women and girls facing technology-facilitated GBV across West Africa. The organisation further highlighted the inauguration of a 21-member multi-stakeholder GBV committee in Kwara State.