ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIES OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS IN GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE ADVOCACY IN NORTH- CENTRAL NIGERIA

Gender-based Violence (GBV) continues to be a major public health and human rights problem in Nigeria despitesustained advocacy interventions by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the country. The study examined thecommunication approaches adopted by NGOs for the promotion of GBV advocacy in North-Central Nigeria withspecific reference to the effectiveness of media and community-based communication approaches and the relationshipbetween stakeholder engagement, public enlightenment and GBV case reporting. The study adopted a descriptive surveyresearch design based on Stakeholder Theory and structured questionnaire was administered to 400 purposively selectedrespondents comprising community members, staff of NGOs and media practitioners from states in North-CentralNigeria, with 338 valid copies of the questionnaire returned and analysed. The results found that while mass media andcommunity outreach are widely used to build general awareness, current communication strategies have not yetsuccessfully shifted deep-seated attitudes or provided clear help-seeking pathways for victims. There are still challengesin terms of consistency of advocacy messages, setting up efficient feedback systems, and ensuring appropriaterepresentation of marginalised groups. Based on these findings, the study recommends the deliberate integration ofculturally appropriate and people-centred communication approaches, along with the development of formal stakeholderengagement frameworks to improve the sustainability, effectiveness and coverage of GBV advocacy initiatives.