Senate passes bill seeking inclusion of SGBV in secondary schools curriculum

The senate has passed a bill seeking the inclusion of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in the curriculum of secondary school students in the country.

The bill was passed on Wednesday during plenary presided by Ovie Omo-Agege, deputy senate president.

The bill is titled: “Mandatory inclusion of preventive measures on sexual and gender-based violence into the curriculum of all levels of secondary schools in Nigeria”.

It was sponsored by Ibrahim Gobir, the senate leader.

Commenting on the bill, Gobir said it will enable secondary school students to remain cautious of the dangers involved in SGBV.

The senate leader said the bill will also address the increased rate of SGBV cases, provide protection for children and curb other related violations.

“It is cost-effective, timely and sustainable. Like it is said, ‘a stitch in time saves nine.’ The bill, when enacted, will tackle the prevalent issues of the SGBV and will further address child protection rights and related issues such as sexual violence, rape and harassment,” he said.

“To reduce cases of the SGBV and its related offence, experts have mentioned that individuals, groups and systematic interventions should be implemented in schools and must include students, teachers, administrators and parents’ participation.

“This is one of the systematic approaches to tackling this issue by early intervention, by catching them young with this enlightenment which will also put our children on their toes to detect the red flags and be on guard.

“This will also avail them of the opportunity to referral pathways for reportage.

“The goal is to have at least 80 percent of all the participating students achieving satisfactory knowledge within 12 months of the rollout to each cohort.

“When they learn, they will pass to their siblings, friends and generations. This is a more sustainable systematic approach to solving this problem.”