UN Women, Stakeholders Laud LEAP Project For Reducing Gender Based Violence In Nigeria

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Chibuzor Emejor

The UN Women and stakeholders, including traditional and religious leaders, have applauded the implementation of LEAP Project in Nigeria, as the project focuses on prevention of gender based violence in some selected states in Nigeria.

Speaking at the LEAP Project Close-Out event in Abuja on Monday, Ms. Beatrice Eyong, UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said the implementation of the project has significantly prevented Gender-Based Violence (GBV), citing strengthened partnerships with traditional and religious leaders and new data showing declines in violence across Nigeria.

Eyong represented by Ms Patience Ekeoba, Acting Deputy Representative, UN Women Nigeria, said the project’s focus on prevention by engaging leaders who “shape laws, influence behaviour, and preserve cultural values” has yielded “remarkable progress” over the last three years.

“Traditional and religious leaders have become stronger advocates for the rights of women and girls.

“Communities have publicly rejected harmful practices. Men and boys have become more engaged as allies. Community accountability mechanisms have been strengthened,” she stated.

She noted that the impact has extended beyond Nigeria through collaboration with governments, traditional institutions, and religious leaders in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Niger, and Ghana to develop a regional accountability framework for religious leaders on GBV prevention.

The framework, Eyong said, aims to strengthen accountability, promote gender equality, and position traditional leaders “at the forefront of efforts to end violence against women and girls.”

UN Women also commended civil society and religious leaders in The Gambia for resisting recent proposals to repeal the law prohibiting female genital mutilation, noting that “culture and religion must never be used to justify harmful practices.”

Citing the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, UN Women highlighted key declines compared to 2018: Sexual violence against women reduced from 9% to 5%; physical violence aged 15 from 31% to 19%, Intimate partner violence from 36% to 23% and female genital mutilation prevalence from 20% to 14%.

Reminiscing on the lessons learnt, Eyong said: “Perhaps the single greatest lesson from the LEAP Project is this: gender-based violence is preventable.

“Violence is not inevitable. When we challenge harmful narratives, when respected traditional and religious leaders become advocates for social justice, communities change. And when communities change, violence reduces.”

Dr. Izeduwa Dere-Briggs, Ford Foundation, urged stakeholders to drive social norms and policy change to end gender-based violence, with a call to treat the conclusion as “the strengthening of a movement.”

Dere-Briggs, acknowledged and commended UN Women for its leadership and partnership, and recognised traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, women’s rights organisations, government institutions and community actors for their contributions.

“Gender based violence remains one of the most pervasive violations of human rights globally.

“While there is a decline, one girl or woman violated is more than enough,” she said, noting that harmful social norms, unequal power relations and entrenched cultural practices continue to limit opportunities for women and girls.

She said the project’s central contribution was shifting focus from response to prevention.

“Prevention requires changing the norms, the beliefs and behaviours that allow violence to persist. And this is where the LEAP Project has made a significant contribution.”

Citing evidence that trusted community leaders “shape attitudes, influence behaviour and often determine whether communities embrace or resist social change.”

She explained that the project deliberately engaged traditional and religious leaders as champions of prevention.

“By engaging these leaders as champions of prevention, the project helped move the conversation from awareness to accountability and from commitment to action.”

The Foundation emphasised that success should be measured not by meetings or trainings, but by outcomes: “whether girls grow up with greater opportunities, whether communities are safe for women and girls, and whether men and boys increasingly see themselves as partners.”

“This is not the end of the road. We should instead see it as the strengthening of a movement… that recognises that ending gender based violence is not the responsibility of women alone, but a collective responsibility shared by governments, communities, faith leaders, traditional leaders, and civil society,” she concluded.

Dr. Haliru Ndanusa Yahaya, Emir of Shonga,
said the LEAP Project has positioned traditional and religious leaders at the centre of efforts to end gender-based violence, child marriage, and other harmful practices across Nigeria and West Africa, emphasising that culture and traditions must protect dignity, not perpetuate harm.

Yahaya said the initiative came “at a very important time when communities across Nigeria and West Africa continue to confront harmful practices such as gender-based violence, child marriage,and harmful cultural practices against women and girls.

He said: “Through this project, traditional and religious leaders have been engaged not just as ceremonial figures, but to create space for dialogue, reflection, and commitment to communities, policies, traditional councils, and local structures.”

He stressed the role of traditional authority in driving change: “In many communities, traditional leaders have trust, legitimacy, and authority.

“Their influence must be used to protect women and girls, not to preserve harmful practices.

“Traditions are meant to preserve dignity, unity, and justice. Where the practice causes harm, it is our responsibility to act for these girls.”

He noted that the project has shown that change happens “when traditional and religious leaders speak clearly against violence, when leaders properly reject harmful practices, and communities are given permission to change.”

He added that collaboration among “traditional institutions, women’s organisations, government, and activists” makes the work “stronger and more sustainable.”

Representative of the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Blessing Anunike, commended the successful completion of the three-year LEAP Project, crediting President Bola Tinubu’s “unwavering political will” for placing the protection of women, children and vulnerable Nigerians at the forefront of the national agenda.

She said the high-level convening was held “to reflect deeply on the achievements of this transformative initiative, recognise our outstanding champions, and solidify sustainable pathways for community-led prevention.”

The project was implemented under the theme: “Male Leaders Championing GBV Prevention and Social Norms Change.”

The LEAP Project(2023-2026), worked to prevent Gender-Based Violence by engaging male traditional and religious leaders to champion social norms change and community-led accountability in Nigeria.