Teenage Network has successfully concluded its two-year project on Strengthening Sexual Violence Responses in FCT Schools, introducing a new framework that standardises how cases of school-related sexual violence are prevented, reported, and managed.
Speaking at the project’s closing event in Abuja, the Executive Director of Teenage Network, Olanike Timipa-Uge, described the initiative as a milestone in promoting learner safety and enhancing institutional accountability within the education system.
The project, implemented in partnership with the FCT Education Secretariat and supported by the African Women Development Fund, was launched two years ago to address systemic gaps that allowed sexual violence to persist in schools without proper reporting or redress.
According to Timipa-Uge, the newly introduced Sexual Violence Reporting and Management Framework provides a survivor-centred and standardised mechanism for handling such cases across public and private, primary and secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“We found that 65 per cent of school-related sexual violence cases were never reported,” she said. “There was no clear pathway for survivors or witnesses to report abuse safely. This framework changes that. It establishes multiple reporting channels — including anonymous options, suggestion boxes, and hotlines — so no voice goes unheard.”
The Director of Special Duties at the FCT Education Secretariat, Ramatu Ajuji Abu, praised the initiative as one of the most impactful collaborations the Secretariat has undertaken.
“I have never seen a project as serious, committed, and impactful as this one,” Abu said. “We have owned the project and already have a structure in place to continue. Training and retraining will remain ongoing so that the gains are sustained.”
Abu noted that the Network worked with the Secretariat to train top officials, including directors and the permanent secretary, on trauma-informed investigation and survivor-centred case management. Additionally, gender officers from 77 schools were trained, and Sexual Violence Action Committees were established to handle cases at the school level.
Timipa-Uge added that the organisation carried out sensitisation campaigns across 30 schools, reaching over 90,000 learners with education on their rights and guidance on how to identify and report abuse.
“We have seen a level of awareness. Many now open up to report cases, and schools are responding,” she said. “Even though the project is ending formally, it will continue to inspire systemic change. If schools become zero-tolerance spaces for violence, society will feel the ripple effect.”
Abu further highlighted that the project has helped teachers become more responsive and better equipped to manage cases of sexual violence, adding that the government is committed to proper case management and prosecution where necessary to ensure schools remain safe and conducive for learning.
Also speaking, Dr. Laraba Okah of the FCT Secondary Education Board commended Teenage Network for its long-term partnership and the introduction of the new framework.
“Before now, many cases were covered up,” she said. “This project has encouraged students to speak, built their confidence, and strengthened our capacity to support survivors. But all hands must be on deck — civil society, educators, government agencies, and the media — to sustain this progress.”
Similarly, Mohammed Habiba, a gender officer with the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB), confirmed that the framework is already yielding results, especially at the basic education level.
“We have seen positive changes in awareness and response,” she said. “However, in rural areas, many pupils still fear speaking out. That’s why continued sensitisation — through the media, the National Orientation Agency, and civil society — is crucial.”
Stakeholders at the event unanimously agreed that the project has laid a solid foundation for long-term institutional reform, ensuring that schools across the FCT become safer, more responsive, and accountable spaces for learners.