Due to the limited spread of awareness on UNFPA mandates in Kaduna State, especially with regard to zero tolerance of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, the Kaduna State Development and Property Company (KSDPC) reached out to UNFPA on the need to train their staff on international best practices, gender-based violence concepts, the protection from sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse, as well as on how to report and ways to assist survivors.

UNFPA Kaduna sub-office held a two-day hybrid capacity-building training for 30 staff of KSDPC to sensitize them on PSEAH in the workplace, its implications, and the obligations of implementing partners.

The workshop also focused on supporting partners develop a safeguarding policy on sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. The scope of the training covered basic key concepts of Gender Based Violence (GBV), understanding PSEAH, attitude, causes, contributing factors, and effect of GBV, and how to develop workplace policies on PSEAH.

The post-training evaluation indicated that 80% of respondents strongly agreed that the programme increased understanding of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, and 100% found the training to be extremely  valuable and timely.

At the conclusion of the training, KSDPC solicited the support of UNFPA to develop its’ institutional safeguard policy in order to ensure zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. Next steps will be for UNFPA to work with KSDPC senior management to begin co- developing the KSDPC safeguard policy.