Mr Kingsley Yallings, Programme Manager of the Foundation, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday, June 29 2023 in Bauchi.
Yalkings said that the training was in partnership with the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and supported by ActionAid Nigeria, under its Women Voice livelihood (WVL-N) Project in the state.
He said that the exercise would promote respect for human rights, rule of law and would create an atmosphere for peaceful coexistence in communities.
”In our bid to tackle gender based violence and promote peace in Bauchi, we decided to train these paralegals to further sensitises people in the communities on the dangers of SGBV.
”The 10 participants are purely women and drawn from different communities in the state.
”This will bring positive change to communities and succour to victims or survivors of all forms of violence in the state,” he said.
The programme manager said that the participants were trained on creating awareness on the dangers of SGBV as well as harmful traditional practices.
Yallings, who decried the spate of culture of silence among survivors of violence, said that the trainees would move into communities to further educate people on ways to seek help when anyone violates their rights.
He explained that at the end of the two-day exercise, the foundation also established the Community Paralegal System in the state. He the participants were also taught how to conduct legal clinics, capacity-building in communities, conflict resolution and counseling, among others.
Yallings advised residents of the state to support the paralegals toward a violent free and peaceful communities. He added that paralegals would be working with solicitors and chartered legal executives to discharge their duties in communities.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the participants were specifically drawn from Rafin Zurfi, Yelwa, Tudun Yerima, Kandahar and Nasarawa communities of Bauchi metropolis.