Over 50 Shari’a Court Judges from Kano and Kaduna met in Kaduna to deliberate a new practice direction aimed at easing the administration of justice as part of efforts to fight the growing cases of gender-based violence in the two states.
The Ford Foundation supported the one-day Joint Session with Shari’a Judges from Kaduna and Kano States on the Islamic Perspective on Preventing Gender-Based Violence,
The event was organised by the development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) in collaboration with the Centre for Islamic Civilisation and Interfaith Dialogue, Bayero University, Kano (CICID) and supported by Ford Foundation.
Speaking at the event, the Acting Grand Khadi of Kano State, Khadi Mukhtar Muhammad Kunti, revealed that the event was organised to educate Shari’a Judges on new measures and rules introduced to reduce the burden of witnesses on survivors.
He disclosed that, the new practice direction gazetted on February 25, 2025, is aimed at enriching the existing laws in the state civil procedures rules that ease the adjudication of cases of GBV.
According to him, the new law provided an alternative to abuses that occur at homes or where there are no witnesses.
Khadi Kunti pointed out that, the new law applies to all Upper and Shari’a Courts in the state and all civil cases.
He also urged the Kano state government to join the 35 other states in the federation in domesticating and implementing the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law to reduce the growing cases of gender-based violence in the state.
In her presentation at the event, the Commissioner of Women Affairs, Children, and Disabled, Hajiya Amina Abdullahi Sani, represented by the Director, Planning, Alh Yakubu Muhammad, challenges Shari’a Judges in the two states to confront the menace of GBV that is increasingly becoming a grave violation of the human rights of survivors in the states.
‘This joint session is a collective testimony to our responsibilities to foster an environment where every woman and child can feel safe, respected, and protected in the states she said
She urged the Shari’a Court Judges to always be guided by compassion, integrity, and a unified purpose to influence change and advocate for justice in the two states.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Human Services in Kaduna State, Hajiya Rabi Salisu, disclosed that several interventions were introduced in the state to prevent cases of gender-based violence in the state, adding that adequate measures are provided to cater for the needs of survivors.
The Kaduna State Coordinator at the National Human Rights Commission,Dr Terngu Gwar, disclosed that his commission is working hard with all stakeholders in the state to prevent cases of GBV and to provide justice for victims of violence.
He called on the judiciary to improve access to justice and deliberate on mechanisms to protect survivors in their states.
Ealier, the Director of Partnerships and Communication at the Development Research and Projects Centre, Hassan Aliyu Karofi, stressed that, the centre's determination, with support from the Ford Foundation, to sustain efforts to engage stakeholders in the judiciary to strengthen the administration of justice and prevent cases of gender-based violence in Kano and Kaduna States
