A step-down training session focused on promoting positive masculinity and ending child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM), and gender-based violence (GBV) was held at the Head Office of the Girls Initiative for Social Change and Rehabilitation (GISCOR) in Maiduguri, with 35 participants in attendance.
The capacity-building session brought together participants from diverse Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) groups, creating an inclusive platform for learning, dialogue, and collective reflection.
Key themes addressed during the training included gender and masculinity, power dynamics, stereotypes, and the drivers and consequences of GBV within families and communities.
Facilitated through a highly participatory approach, the training featured practical activities, group work, and experience-sharing sessions that enabled participants to actively engage with the topics.
Participants examined how harmful gender norms and unequal power relations contribute to practices such as child marriage and GBV, while also exploring positive masculinity as a transformative tool for social change.
In-depth discussions were held on child marriage and masculinity, with participants highlighting the social, health, and economic impacts of these practices on individuals—particularly women and girls—and on broader community development.
The interactive sessions encouraged participants to reflect on their roles as change agents in challenging harmful norms and promoting safer, more equitable communities.
Organisers noted that the training is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen community-led advocacy and prevention of harmful practices in Borno State and beyond.
The step-down training is expected to continue and will be concluded with further sessions aimed at consolidating learning outcomes and developing practical action plans for community engagement.
GISCOR reaffirmed its commitment to working with stakeholders to advance gender equality, protect the rights of women and girls, and promote positive social norms that foster peace, dignity, and inclusion.