Partnership for Justice held a National Consultation Workshop on Human Right Defenders working on Sexual Gender Based Violence on the 20th and 21st of October 2022 at Dover Hotels, Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria. The workshop was supported by the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Foundation and the Joint Civic Defence Fund.
In attendance were participants from the six (6) geo-political zones in Nigeria and the National Human Rights Commission.
Participants were introduced to what a Human Rights Defender (HRD) is, the human rights instruments guiding their protection, the legal framework for the protection of HRDs in Nigeria, the challenges posed to Human Rights Defenders, and how the shrinking of civic space affects the effectiveness of their work.
Participants were also enlightened on how to manage the stress that comes from providing support to survivors and how to deal with secondary trauma, this session was facilitated by Dr. Chinasa Amadi of Ariella Fitness.
Participants shared their experiences in the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence field and the need to set up a support system.
