By Austin Angwe, Makurdi
Adolescent Girls and Young Women, (AGYW) living in internally displayed persons (IDPs) camps across Benue State have been encouraged to form peer support networks to strengthen solidarity, build resilience, and protect themselves against gender-based violence (GBV) and other abuses that threaten their future.
This call was made by Becky Gbihi, Senior Programme Officer at Concerned Women International Development Initiative (CWIDI) during a 2-day capacity building workshop held at the International Modern Market and Ichwa IDP Camp, Makurdi.
The training, organized in collaboration with Purposeful, empowered about 60 girls aged 12–18 years under the theme: “Building Confidence, Health, and Safety.”
Gbihi explained that the training was designed to help participants take care of their bodies, protect themselves from abuse, and support one another.
She noted that peer-to-peer support, captured in the activity “My Sister’s Keeper Pledge”, encourages the girls to look out for one another in order to prevent cases of rape, unprotected sex, child molestation, and other forms of GBV.
Gbihi outlined the objectives of the workshop to include enhancing the well-being and safety of girls in IDP camps, raising awareness on GBV, human rights abuses, and bodily autonomy, improving menstrual hygiene management, preventing unplanned pregnancies, and offering psycho-social support to strengthen solidarity among girls.
During a session on Understanding GBV, facilitator Doofan Daga explained that GBV can take physical, emotional, sexual, and even online forms, often leading to consequences such as unplanned pregnancies, early marriages, and diseases, including HIV.
She stressed that silence enables perpetrators and urged survivors to speak out and report to parents, camp leaders, NGOs, or the police.
Daga further advised participants to avoid risky situations such as walking alone in isolated places or engaging in unsafe night activities.
Another facilitator, Ruth Agene, CWIDI’s Communication Expert, led sessions on Building Self-Worth, Assertiveness, and Sisterhood.
She encouraged the girls to speak out on issues that threaten their goals, avoid negative peer pressure, dress decently, and remain focused on education and personal development.
The interactive workshop also featured practical activities, including:
• Drama skits on resisting peer pressure,
• The Speak Out Tree (where girls identified trusted people they could report GBV cases to), and
• Confidence Circles for building self-esteem.
Participants such as Shidoo Iorngu, Tyav Ngodoo, Faith Bernard, and Rita Tsaga expressed appreciation to CWIDI for bringing such empowerment programmes to IDP camps.
They pledged to step down the training to their peers, to reach an estimated 250 girls across the two camps.
Ten volunteers, each from International Modern Market and Ichwa IDP Camps, were also selected among the participants to coordinate step-down trainings, scheduled to commence from September 3rd at the International Modern Market and Ichwa Camps.
