Report of the National Consultative Meeting on GBV/IPV Integration Into The Global Fund GC8 Funding Request
Introduction
The ED of Esther Thelfid Foundation, and the CiSHAN coordinator for FCT, represented CiSHAN National at the National Consultative Meeting on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Integration into the Global Fund Grant Cycle 8 (GC8) Funding Request. The meeting brought together key government institutions, development partners, civil society organizations CSOs, community representatives, legal experts, and gender justice advocates to strengthen the integration of GBV/IPV prevention and response within Nigeria’s HIV and health programming framework.
The meeting sought to identify strategic opportunities for integrating GBV/IPV interventions into the GC8 funding request, recognizing the significant impact of violence, gender inequality, and human rights violations on health outcomes, particularly HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support.
Participants
Lead facilitators included representatives from:
- Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH)
- Federal Ministry of Justice (FMOJ)
- Federal Ministry of Women Affairs (FMWA)
- National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
- Community Representatives
- United Nations Agencies
- United States Government (USG)
- Global Fund
Other participating institutions included:
- UNDP
- IHVN
- UN Women
- Attorneys General from Anambra, Ebonyi States etc
- Commissioners for Women Affairs from Abia, Benue, Gombe States etc
- Directors of Women Affairs from Anambra, Kano, Osun, Kwara, Sokoto States etc
- Civil Society Organizations including CiSHAN, ASWHAN, APYN etc
- Media Representatives
- NAPTIP
- ACJMC
- Other stakeholders working in gender, human rights, justice, and HIV programming.
Key Activities and Discussions
The meeting featured goodwill messages and welcome remarks from representatives of government institutions, development partners, civil society organizations, and community representatives.
Major presentations included:
National Overview of GBV/IPV in Nigeria and Linkages to Health Outcomes
Presenters highlighted the significant burden of GBV/IPV in Nigeria and its direct relationship with poor health outcomes, including increased vulnerability to HIV infection, poor treatment adherence, mental health challenges, and reduced access to healthcare services.
Global Fund GC8 Priorities and Opportunities for GBV/IPV Integration
The Global Fund team emphasized the need for stronger integration of GBV and human rights programming within HIV interventions and encouraged stakeholders to identify practical, evidence-based investments capable of producing measurable impact.
Panel Discussions
A multidisciplinary panel comprising government officials and gender justice experts explored:
- GBV/IPV prevention strategies
- Community engagement approaches
- Survivor-centered healthcare
- Psychosocial support systems
- Legal and justice responses
- Human rights protection
- Coordination mechanisms
- Data management systems
- Financing gaps and opportunities
Open Plenary Discussions
Participants engaged in robust discussions on:
- Community-based prevention approaches
- Survivor support and protection services
- Strengthening legal redress mechanisms
- Improving coordination among actors
- Data collection and utilization
- Sustainable financing for GBV interventions
Key Findings and Observations
A recurring theme throughout the meeting was the strong relationship between GBV/IPV and HIV outcomes.
Participants agreed that violence remains one of the major structural drivers of HIV vulnerability, particularly among women, girls, and other vulnerable populations.
NHRC Presentation
Mr. Hillary Ogbonna of the National Human Rights Commission presented alarming statistics showing that between January and April 2026:
- 2,755 GBV/IPV cases were reported and tracked.
- 1,255 cases were committed by family members.
- 630 cases involved religious leaders.
- Additional cases were linked to insecurity, terrorism, and banditry.
These findings generated significant concern among participants and highlighted the urgent need for stronger prevention and accountability mechanisms.
Federal Ministry of Women Affairs Presentation
The Ministry presented detailed, state-level disaggregated data from all 36 States and the FCT.
One of the most disturbing findings was the extremely high incidence of violence against children aged 5–11 years.
This presentation was particularly emotional for participants, especially community activists from conflict-affected northern states where insecurity and displacement continue to increase vulnerabilities among women and children.
Federal Ministry of Justice Presentation
The presentation from the Ministry of Justice revealed significant challenges in the prosecution of GBV perpetrators.
Participants expressed concern regarding:
- Slow prosecution processes
- Delayed justice for survivors
- Low conviction rates
- Minimal prison sentences even when convictions occur
These challenges continue to discourage survivors from reporting incidents and seeking justice.
Shelter and Survivor Support Challenges
The issue of shelter emerged as a major concern.
NAPTIP reported that existing shelters are overstretched and unable to meet growing demand.
Many survivors continue to lack access to safe spaces, psychosocial support, and long-term rehabilitation services.
CiSHAN Contributions and Position
Representing CiSHAN National, I emphasized that civil society organizations are uniquely positioned to understand and address GBV/IPV because of their direct engagement with communities across all 36 states and the FCT.
I highlighted that:
- GBV remains a major barrier to HIV prevention, treatment, and retention in care.
- Many survivors do not trust government institutions, particularly the police, due to poor handling of reported cases.
- Community structures often receive disclosures before formal institutions become aware of cases.
- Community-led interventions are critical for prevention, reporting, counseling, referral, and survivor support.
CiSHAN advocated strongly for:
Social Contracting
The adoption of social contracting mechanisms that would allow government and development partners to directly support community organizations to:
- Track GBV cases
- Provide counseling services
- Strengthen referral pathways
- Support survivor follow-up
- Improve community reporting systems
Community Engagement
Greater investment in engagement with:
- Traditional leaders
- Religious leaders
- Community gatekeepers
- Youth groups
- Women’s groups
to address harmful social norms and improve accountability.
Recommendations
Based on the discussions and evidence presented, the following recommendations are proposed:
Strengthen Community-Based GBV Prevention and Response
- Expand community-led prevention programmes.
- Support community surveillance and reporting systems.
- Strengthen referral networks between communities and formal institutions.
Institutionalize Social Contracting
- Establish sustainable financing mechanisms for civil society organizations.
- Enable CSOs to provide structured GBV prevention and response services.
Improve Access to Justice
- Accelerate prosecution of offenders.
- Strengthen survivor protection mechanisms.
- Improve legal aid services.
- Increase accountability for perpetrators.
Expand Shelter and Psychosocial Support Services
- Increase the number of shelters nationwide.
- Strengthen survivor rehabilitation services.
- Support trauma-informed care and psychosocial interventions.
Integrate GBV Programming into HIV Interventions
- Ensure GBV screening and referrals are integrated into HIV services.
- Strengthen links between HIV, GBV, mental health, and protection services.
Strengthen Data Systems
- Improve GBV data collection and utilization.
- Integrate community-generated data into national decision-making systems.
- Promote evidence-based planning and resource allocation.
Prioritize High-Burden Communities
- Focus investments on areas with high rates of GBV, insecurity, displacement, and HIV vulnerability.
- Ensure interventions reach women, children, adolescents, and other vulnerable populations.
Way Forward
Global Fund representatives emphasized that future investments should prioritize interventions capable of generating the greatest impact at community level.
The meeting concluded with a strong consensus that ending HIV and achieving health equity in Nigeria requires addressing GBV/IPV as a fundamental public health, gender, and human rights issue.
Civil society organizations, particularly CiSHAN and its member organizations, have a critical role to play in prevention, community mobilization, survivor support, accountability, and advocacy.
Strengthening partnerships between government, communities, civil society, and development partners will be essential for achieving sustainable results under GC8 and beyond.
Conclusion
The consultative meeting reinforced the urgent need to move beyond policy commitments toward practical, community-driven action. The evidence presented clearly demonstrated that GBV/IPV continues to undermine health outcomes, increase HIV vulnerability, and weaken community resilience.
As a national network with membership across all states of the federation and the FCT, CiSHAN is well positioned to support the design and implementation of impactful, community-led interventions that address both HIV and GBV. The adoption of social contracting, strengthened community systems, improved survivor services, and enhanced accountability mechanisms will be critical to achieving meaningful and sustainable change.
