En outre, ce manuel est un guide sur la manière de concevoir des programmes axés sur les jeunes, et comprend des concepts de base et des thèmes clés qui devraient généralement être considérés lors de la conception et de la facilitation d'une formation dispensée aux jeunes sur la SMSPS et la PJTUA.

This manual does not include a comprehensive account of all MHPSS challenges and appropriate interventions. CSOs should aim to adapt the manual to their specific contexts to ensure that programmes are appropriate and meaningful to their intended community.

The manual provides guidance on how to design programmes that are youth focused, and includes basic concepts and key themes that should typically be considered when designing and facilitating training with youth on MHPSS and the AUTJP.

The Forum revealed both progress and persistent challenges in addressing GBV. Discussions highlighted systemic drivers such as patriarchy, harmful cultural norms, economic dependency, digital exclusion and weak implementation of existing policies. Participants underscored the need to shift from crisis response to prevention, to strengthen survivor-centred justice and to expand inclusive approaches that recognise the intersecting vulnerabilities of women, youth, LGBTQIA+ persons, people with disabilities and rural communities.

Five thematic pillars guided deliberations: access to justice, education systems, overcoming funding gaps, technology and digital tools, and men as partners in prevention. Central to all these was the call for structural transformation, collective accountability and long-term investment in community-driven solutions. As one participant reflected: 'Behind every statistic is a shattered life; [hence] prevention should be on all our agendas.'

Good practices showcased during the Forum – from mobile courts and community paralegals to youth led advocacy, survivor networks, faith-based partnerships and innovative digital tools – illustrated what is possible when responses are inclusive, well resourced and locally owned. Participants agreed that stronger regional collaboration, flexible funding models and political will are essential to scale such innovations and close persistent gaps.

This report consolidates the key challenges, promising practices, and strategic recommendations from the Forum. It serves as both a record of collective insight and a roadmap for governments, civil society, donors, and communities to strengthen
prevention and response to GBV in Southern Africa.

According to reports, armed assailants abducted 303 school children, aged between 10 and 18, and 12 teachers from the boarding school. This is not an isolated event. Rather, it is part of a long-term pattern of violence targeting women and girls characterised by abductions, forced marriage, sexual violence, and terror-driven coercion. Such atrocities have become tragically common across northern Nigeria, devastating families and destabilising entire communities.

This mass abduction occurs on the eve of the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, a period dedicated to mobilising global action to end violence against women and girls. Instead of progress, we are confronted with yet another painful reminder that gender-based violence remains an escalating human rights crisis across the continent.

The abduction of these young girls is not just an attack on their future; it is an affront to our shared humanity. As we mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, we are reminded that our commitments are meaningless if girls cannot attend school safely. CSVR urges urgent, coordinated action to ensure the immediate return of these children and their teachers, safeguard all girls across the region, and offer psychosocial support to families facing overwhelming fear and uncertainty. Africa must unite – governments, civil society, and communities – to end these cycles of violence against women and girls,

CSVR calls for the following:

1. Immediate and Decisive Leadership CSVR urges the Nigerian Government to mobilise all available security, intelligence, and investigative resources to urgently rescue and securely return the abducted girls. We call on the African Union, ECOWAS, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights to provide coordinated support and oversight.

2. Solidarity and Collective Action Across Africa and Beyond

We call for increased solidarity between state and non-state actors, including civil society, women's rights organisations, humanitarian agencies, and community networks. Fragmented responses encourage perpetrators. Unified, coordinated action is crucial to preventing further atrocities.

3. Protection, Mental Health, and Psychosocial Support

CSVR emphasises the urgent need for:

• Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) for families of abducted girls and for the girls who have escaped and reunited with their families.

• Strengthened protection measures for schools and communities at risk, and

• Immediate and long-term survivor support once all abducted girls and teachers are rescued, including healthcare, social reintegration and educational support.

4. Long-Term Prevention and Structural Solutions Beyond emergency response, Nigeria and regional partners must invest in long-term strategies that:

• Build community resilience, safety and security

• Address drivers of violence and extremist recruitment

• End gender inequality, and

• Protect girls' education in at-risk regions and communities as a fundamental right.

CSVR stands in solidarity with the abducted girls, their families, and all Nigerian communities affected by this ongoing violence. We urge African and global leaders to act decisively and compassionately to bring an end to these atrocities and safeguard the rights and dignity of women and girls everywhere.

As the global community marks the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR) is proud to launch a bold public-engagement initiative under the banner: "What Does Justice for GBV Mean for You?" This initiative invites South Africans—and Africans across the continent to reflect, engage, and contribute to a deeper, more inclusive understanding of what justice truly means for survivors, families, and communities affected by gender-based violence and violence against women and girls in particular.

The campaign aims to expand the justice perceptions beyond the courtroom, challenging the narrow assumption that justice is achieved only through convictions. Instead, CSVR's campaign encourages society to consider the full spectrum of justice:

• Social Justice – dismantling the harmful norms, inequalities, and power dynamics that sustain violence.

• Psychosocial and Healing Justice – ensuring survivors and their families receive sustained mental health, trauma, and emotional support.

• Livelihoods and Economic Justice – addressing the economic drivers and consequences of GBV, including poverty, unemployment, and economic dependency.

• Safety and Protection Justice – guaranteeing that communities, schools, public spaces, and homes are places of safety.

• Transformative Justice – transforming institutions, structures and systems at all levels to prevent violence, respond effectively, and uphold survivor dignity.

A Conversation on Justice

With the question "What Does Justice for GBV Mean for You?", CSVR seeks to spark a multi-layered national and continental conversation that recognises that:

• For many survivors, justice is the experience of being heard, believed, and treated with dignity.

• For families, justice means safety, protection, empowerment and long-term psychosocial support.

• For communities, justice means breaking the silence, confronting stigma, and addressing harmful social norms.

• For institutions, justice requires timely, accessible, and survivor-centred services, free from secondary trauma or bureaucratic barriers.

By amplifying these diverse perspectives, the campaign highlights the reality that justice is not a single event, but a continuous process of healing, safety, and transformation.

Justice Beyond the Criminal Justice System

While the criminal justice system remains essential, CSVR's research and programmatic interventions consistently demonstrate that justice is broader than just criminal justice

outcomes. Survivors repeatedly express that justice includes:

• Receiving compassion, respect, and being trusted.

• Access to quality MHPSS services.

• Reintegration into supportive families and communities.

• Economic empowerment and opportunities that allow them to rebuild their lives.

• Living in a society where violence is prevented – not tolerated, justified, or ignored.

This holistic understanding of justice reflects CSVR's core mission of addressing not only the symptoms of violence but also the deep structural and social drivers that sustain it.

CSVR's Commitment During the 16 Days of Activism

Throughout this period, CSVR will roll out a series of activities designed to deepen public reflection, expand knowledge, and strengthen collective responsibility, including:

• The Justice Op-Ed Series: Expert analyses, survivor reflections, and insights on justice, healing, and prevention.

• Interactive Online Platforms: Tools for communities to share their perspectives on what justice looks like in their own lives and local contexts.

• Engagement with policymakers and institutions to highlight gaps, advocate for survivor-centred reforms, and strengthen accountability.

These interventions reflect CSVR's unwavering commitment to trauma-informed Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS, community resilience, evidence-based advocacy, and the advancement of justice systems that uphold the dignity and wellbeing of all survivors.

A Call to Action

CSVR calls on all partners – government actors, civil society, researchers, traditional leaders, private sector partners, and community structures to join us in ensuring that justice becomes a lived reality, not merely a legal aspiration.