GBV Awareness Campaign 2026

LLWCI is committed to giving children the information they need to protect themselves. With support from the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Justice GBV Department, we visited two schools to educate students on gender-based violence and the Akwa Ibom State Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law 2020. Facilitators from LLWCI and a representative of the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Uyo led interactive, age-appropriate sessions.

What students learned

• What GBV is, the forms it takes and how it affects individuals and communities.
• The offences the VAPP Law covers, including rape, sexual harassment, stalking, spousal battery, bullying and harassment, and emotional and psychological abuse.
• The penalties under the law.
• Where to report: the Ministry of Justice GBV Department and the Ministry of Women Affairs.
• That the law protects everyone, male and female, young and old.

Students also asked questions about consent, reporting and support for survivors. Some shared what they had learned, and gifts went to students who took part actively. Copies of the VAPP Law were given to the principals and teachers for the school libraries.

Impact

• Over 200 students took part at the first school and over 1,000 at the second.
• Many students, and even teachers, were hearing about the VAPP Law for the first time.
• Students understood that GBV is a crime, not a “family matter”.
• Students learned that even supporting a perpetrator is an offence.
• Teachers asked for follow-up sessions, and one school put the GBV posters up in its hallways right away.

Looking ahead
We plan to take the programme to more schools across Akwa Ibom State. Schools with large populations need a public address system so every student can hear, and we will document lessons learned to improve future sessions.