By Christian Agbo,
When sexual and gender-based violence occurs, the violence itself is only part of the battle.
For many survivors, what follows can be equally painful: silence, stigma, disbelief, victim-blaming, pressure to withdraw cases and a justice system that may be difficult to navigate.
Now, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) wants journalists to help change that narrative.
The agency, with support from the European Union Support to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (ESGBV) Programme, implemented by International IDEA, has established an SGBV Media Corps to strengthen ethical, survivor-centred and evidence-based reporting of sexual and gender-based violence.
The initiative recognises a simple but powerful reality: what the media chooses to report, how it reports it and what questions it asks can influence how society understands and responds to SGBV.
From Reporting Incidents to Investigating the Causes
Speaking during a two-day SGBV Media Corps Workshop, Vincent Adekoye, Head of Press and Population Unit at NAPTIP, challenged journalists to move beyond routine reports of SGBV incidents.
He urged the media to investigate the reasons behind rising cases, examine institutional responses and question the cultural norms, behaviours and practices that allow violence to continue.
“We want the media to go out of the normal routine of writing reports to be able to question some things that are coming up,” Adekoye said.
For NAPTIP, responsible journalism should not end with the publication of a victim’s story.
It should ask: Why did this happen? Could it have been prevented? Did the survivor receive help? Was the case properly investigated? Was the perpetrator prosecuted? What failed? And what needs to change?
These questions can transform SGBV reporting from passive storytelling into public accountability journalism.
The Survivor Is Not the Headline
One of the strongest messages from the workshop was the need to place survivors at the centre of reporting without turning them into spectacles.
Adekoye stressed that journalists must protect the dignity and privacy of victims and survivors.
“The victims are very critical to us. We must protect them. We must ensure their dignity is protected, their privacy,” he said.
This means journalists must be careful about revealing identities, publishing photographs, describing traumatic experiences or including details that could expose survivors to further stigma, retaliation or discrimination.
A sensational headline may generate clicks, but it can also reopen wounds.
Ethical journalism, by contrast, can inform the public without sacrificing the dignity of the person who has already suffered violence.
When Society Blames the Survivor
SGBV reporting becomes even more complicated when harmful social norms influence how communities respond to survivors.
Winifred Achu Egbosen, Civil Society and Community Mobilisation Lead for the ESGBV Programme implemented by International IDEA, noted that legal frameworks alone cannot eliminate SGBV.
She pointed to patriarchal attitudes and cultural, social and religious practices that can sometimes contribute to violence or encourage communities to protect perpetrators.
In some cases, families and community leaders may pressure survivors to abandon cases or settle matters privately.
Economic hardship can also make justice difficult. Survivors may have to bear transportation costs to police stations, hospitals and courts while simultaneously dealing with emotional and physical trauma.
The media therefore has an important role in challenging these harmful narratives rather than reproducing them.
More Than 3,000 Rescued
The scale of the problem is reflected in figures disclosed by NAPTIP during the workshop.
Adekoye said the agency had rescued more than 3,000 people from critical situations since January 2026, while securing more than 20 convictions in SGBV-related cases, including three life imprisonment sentences.
He said NAPTIP was also strengthening collaboration with frontline institutions, including the police and civil defence, while expanding community engagement.
But enforcement alone cannot end SGBV.
Prevention requires communities to recognise violence, survivors to know where to seek help, institutions to respond effectively and society to reject attitudes that excuse perpetrators.
That is where the media comes in.
The Digital Battlefield
SGBV is also increasingly moving into the digital space.
The workshop highlighted technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TF-SGBV) as an emerging concern, with digital platforms creating new avenues for harassment, threats, exploitation and abuse.
Journalists therefore need to understand not only traditional forms of SGBV but also how technology can be used to facilitate violence.
The media must be prepared to investigate emerging forms of digital abuse while ensuring that reporting does not inadvertently expose survivors to further online harm.
Persons with Disabilities Cannot Be Left Behind
The workshop also brought disability inclusion into the SGBV conversation.
Comrade Chris Agbo, Publisher of The Qualitative Magazine and a disability inclusion advocate, warned that persons with disabilities can face additional vulnerabilities when exposed to sexual and gender-based violence.
For women with disabilities, he described the situation as “double jeopardy”—facing discrimination as women and additional discrimination as persons with disabilities.
He highlighted challenges such as communication barriers for deaf survivors, difficulties faced by blind survivors in identifying perpetrators and the heightened vulnerability of persons with intellectual disabilities.
He also noted that some persons with disabilities may face disbelief when they report abuse.
These realities demand reporting that recognises the specific experiences of persons with disabilities rather than treating them as an invisible category in SGBV stories.
A Media Corps With a Bigger Mission
The SGBV Media Corps is therefore expected to become more than a network of journalists.
According to Egbosen, the Media Corps brings together journalists who can work consistently with NAPTIP to promote ethical reporting, change harmful narratives, encourage positive social norms and increase public awareness.
The initiative initially brings together journalists from the FCT and Kaduna State, with participants drawn from different media organisations.
Its broader goal is to build a community of media practitioners who can contribute to prevention, strengthen public engagement and help ensure that SGBV remains a subject of sustained public scrutiny.
Silence Protects No Survivor
The fight against SGBV cannot be won through laws and prosecutions alone.
It requires a society willing to speak about violence honestly, challenge harmful norms, support survivors and hold perpetrators accountable.
And it requires a media that understands the difference between reporting violence and reporting responsibly about violence.
Every headline can either deepen stigma or encourage understanding.
Every photograph can either protect dignity or expose a survivor.
Every story can either simply describe what happened—or ask why it happened and what must be done to prevent it from happening again.
That is the narrative NAPTIP wants journalists to change.
Because when violence meets silence, perpetrators benefit.
But when ethical journalism meets evidence, accountability and survivor-centred reporting, the media can become one of the most powerful tools in the fight against SGBV.
Follow the The Qualitative Magazine channel on WhatsApp:
