Teenage Network has concluded its two-year project on Strengthening Sexual Violence Responses in FCT schools, with introduction of a framework to standardise how school-related sexual violence are prevented, reported, and managed.
Speaking in Abuja, Executive Director, Olanike Timipa-Uge, described the initiative as a major milestone in safeguarding learners and strengthening institutional accountability in the education system.
The project was in partnership with FCT Education Secretariat and supported by African Women Development Fund.
She said the project, which began two years ago, sought to tackle gaps that allowed sexual violence to persist unnoticed or unaddressed in schools.
According to her, the new Sexual Violence Reporting and Management Framework, now in FCT schools; public and private, primary and secondary, provides a survivor-centred and standardised mechanism for handling such cases.
“We found that 65 per cent of school-related sexual violence cases were never reported,” Timipa-Uge said. “There was no clear pathway for survivors or those who witnessed abuse to report it safely. This framework changes that. It establishes multiple reporting channels, including anonymous options; suggestion boxes and hotlines, so no voice goes unheard.”
She said the network worked with the secretariat to train directors, including permanent secretary, on trauma-informed investigation and survivor-centred case management.
“We also trained gender officers from 77 schools and supported the secretariat to set up Sexual Violence Action committees” she said.
Timipa-Uge added that the organisation carried out sensitisation on 30 schools, reaching over 90,000 learners with education on their rights and how to identify and report abuse.
“We have seen a level of awareness. Many open up to reporting cases, and schools are responding,” she said. “We believe this project, even though it’s ending formally, will continue to inspire systemic change. If schools become zero-tolerance spaces for violence, the society will feel the ripple effect”, she said.
The Director of Special Duties at the FCT Education Secretariat, Ramatu Ajuji Abu, hailed the initiative as one of the most effective collaborations the Secretariat has ever engaged in.
“I have never seen a project as serious, committed, and impactful as this one,” she said. “We have owned the project and already have a structure in place to continue. Training and retraining will remain ongoing so that the gains are sustained.”
Abu added that the project has helped teachers become more responsive and better equipped to manage cases of sexual violence.
“The government is determined to handle cases properly, including prosecution when necessary,” she said. “The ultimate goal is to make our school environment safe and conducive for learning.”
Also speaking, Dr. Laraba Okah of the FCT Secondary Education Board commended the Teenage Network’s long-term partnership and the introduction of the new framework.
“Before now, many cases were covered up,” she said. “This project has helped us encourage students to speak, build their confidence, and improve our capacity to support survivors. But all hands must be on deck, civil society, educators, government agencies, and the media must all work together to tackle this issue.”
Similarly, Mohammed Habiba, a gender officer with the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB), said the framework is already yielding results, particularly at the basic education level.
“We have seen positive changes in awareness and response,” she said. “However, in rural areas, many pupils still fear speaking out. That is why continued sensitisation, especially through the media, the National Orientation Agency, and civil society, is crucial to sustain this progress.”
Stakeholders at the event agreed that the project has laid a solid foundation for long-term institutional change in the education sector, ensuring that schools in the FCT remain safe spaces for learning and personal development.
