In late August, the GS-Foundation organised a five-day Gender Desk Training in Abuja for officers of the Nigerian Police Force. The training was designed to strengthen knowledge, awareness and practical tools for dealing with Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in everyday police work.

The Gender Desk approach is an essential part of Nigeria’s police reform process: it ensures that cases of sexual and gender-based violence are addressed with professionalism, sensitivity and accountability. By equipping officers with specialised training, the GS-Foundation and its partners support institutional change that directly impacts citizens’ lives.

The training in Abuja was accompanied by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), which produced a national TV feature giving voice to participants. CSP Shulamite Otukpa and CSP Opadola Onyeoghan Rachael, both Gender Desk officers, reflected on the importance of the training. They described how the sessions expanded their understanding of SGBV, provided them with practical skills, and motivated them to apply what they had learned in their daily duties.
Their testimonies underlined the broader significance of the initiative: building a police service that recognises and addresses gender-based violence is not only a question of technical skills, but also of cultural change within the institution.

The media coverage once again highlighted how reform activities resonate beyond the training room. By sharing the voices of police officers, the NTA feature helped raise public awareness of the importance of addressing SGBV and showed that reform is tangible and ongoing.