By Pwanagba Agabus, Jos
The Special Adviser on Gender to the Governor/Chairperson, Plateau State Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission, Barr Olivia Dazyam, has declared that “we have not gathered merely to attend another workshop. We have gathered because lives are at stake.”
Dazyam stated this while declaring open the Training of Religious Mediation Counsellors on Gender Sensitization, Gender Equality, Gender Based Violence Prevention and Response, Mediation, and Related Issues, in Jos the State Capital on Thursday.
“Families are hurting. Homes are breaking apart. Women, men, boys, and girls continue to experience different forms of abuse, and many suffer in silence because they do not know where to turn for help,” she said.
She posed a fundamental question to participants: “What kind of society do we want to leave for our children? A society where fear, violence, discrimination, and abuse are accepted as normal? Or one where every person is respected, protected, and given the opportunity to live with dignity?”
“I believe we all desire the second. That is why this training is so important,” she added.
The Chairperson noted that at the Plateau State Gender and Equal Opportunities Commission, “we encounter painful realities every day. Behind every case file on our desks is a human being a woman living in fear, a child whose innocence has been stolen, a husband struggling with unresolved conflict, or an elderly person neglected by those expected to care for them.”
“These are not just statistics. They are our neighbours, members of our congregations, friends, and relatives,” she said.
Stressing that, “many of these situations could have been prevented if the right intervention had taken place at the right time.”
Dazyam said government institutions alone cannot address the challenge: “Government cannot be everywhere, the police cannot be everywhere, the courts cannot be everywhere; but our churches and Mosques are present in nearly every community.”
“Every week, thousands of people come to you seeking spiritual guidance, counselling, and direction. Before many survivors ever report a case to a government agency, they first speak to a pastor, a priest, an imam, or another trusted religious leader. This places a sacred responsibility on all of us,” she stated.
“Religious leaders are not only teachers of faith; you are builders of peace, defenders of justice, and custodians of hope. Your words influence families. Your guidance shapes decisions. Your interventions can save lives.”
However, she noted that, good intentions alone are not enough.
“We must also be equipped with the right knowledge and skills.”
“A survivor of violence does not only need prayers. They also need protection, love and care. A child facing abuse needs more than sympathy. They need safety.
“A family in conflict needs more than advice; they need sound mediation that promotes peace without compromising justice or exposing victims to further harm,” she said.
According to her, “the Commission designed this training, to equip you with practical skills in gender sensitisation, gender equality, gender-based violence prevention and response, mediation, ethical counselling, survivor-centred approaches, confidentiality, referral pathways, and the relevant laws that protect vulnerable persons.
“Lives are at stake”, Plateau Gender Commission tasks religious leaders on GBV prevention
