Ending Gender-Based Violence: Programme Review
What changed when referral pathways for survivors were placed inside congregations rather than alongside them.
This review covers the first full year of the gender-based violence programme, which works through faith institutions rather than in parallel to them.
The premise
Survivors in Osun State disclose to religious leaders long before they approach police or health services — often years before, and sometimes never progressing further. A referral system that does not begin with the faith leader does not begin at all.
Findings
Across four quarterly dialogues, 120 leaders received survivor-centred listening training and a documented referral pathway. Participating leaders reported handling disclosures with a confidence they had not previously had, and referrals to formal services rose in the communities where dialogues were held.
The clearest result was not volume but speed: disclosures that would previously have sat unaddressed for months moved to a health or legal service within weeks.
What we are changing
Mentoring after the dialogue mattered more than the dialogue itself. In 2026 we are shifting budget from convening additional new leaders toward deepening follow-up with those already trained.
