Nigeria adopts new tools to identify and refer SGBV survivors

The Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACoN) and the European Union Support to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (ESGBV) Programme held a stakeholder validation workshop in Abuja to adopt new tools for addressing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

The workshop, implemented by International IDEA, focused on reviewing and validating identification guidelines, revised legal aid intake forms, and structured referral pathways. These tools aim to help legal aid practitioners recognize indicators of abuse, document cases with sensitivity, and connect survivors to essential medical, legal, and psychosocial support services.

Aliyu Abubakar, Director-General of LACoN, noted that current intake processes often fail to identify signs of abuse when survivors seek help for unrelated legal matters. Representing Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi, officials emphasized that the initial intake interview is a decisive moment for ensuring a survivor's experience is recognized and acted upon rather than overlooked.