GBV Tête-à-tête is a bespoke technology developed as technology leverage for a survivor-centered approach intervention that provided capacity building for psychological first aid to survivors of gender-based violence in Benue state, Nigeria- Capacity Building and Technology Adoption for Strengthening GBV Awareness, Prevention and Response through Community-Based Psycho-social Support.

The overarching goal of this intervention was community level capacity building for increased SGBV prevention, reporting and access to mental health support services by women and girls in Benue state. Subsequently, adoption of mobile app technology to drive the awareness on the availability of psycho-social support services in addition to continuous capacity of community-based psychological first aiders across the state and Nigeria via
bespoke technology product became necessary.

Centre for Women’s Health and Information Nigeria (CEWHIN) had received a 2021 U.S. Federal Awards for GBV Tête-à-tête and collaborated with Gender and Environmental Risks Initiative for the evidence gathering towards this technology product.

CEWHIN's vision is a society where women and girls are empowered to realize their mental, social and physical well-being.

The GBV Tête-à-tête is CEWHIN's first technology product with intent to bring freely to millions of Nigerians the knowledge and skills for psychological first aid that benefits survivors of GBV and enhance GBV response capacity for individuals.

The Nigeria Demographic Health Survey 2013 puts the prevalence of experience among women of at least once since age 15 at 28% with only 7% reporting the experience. Tolerant attitude towards wife beating and intimate partner violence (physical, emotional and sexual) at 34.7% and 25% respectively are the major drivers of SGBV in Nigeria. More challenging is that almost 45 percent of the women who had experienced violence never sought help or told anyone about the incident.

The lock-downs in Nigeria which came as a preventive measure for curbing the covid-19 pandemic led to rise in SGBV cases and home was reportedly not a safe haven for the women.   During the Covid-19 Crisis: The Shadow Pandemic prepared by UN Women with collaboration of UNFPA, UNODC and UNICEF on behalf of the UN System in Nigeria.

In addition, several GBV interventions had offered technology for case reporting and sexual offense register but none offered free psychological first aid knowledge via bespoke mobile technology.

CEWHIN offers the GBV Tête-à-tête with hopes to close the GBV support gaps of access to provision of psycho-social support to survivors which is a critical intervention area in dealing with the negative mental health impacts of SGBV by organizing community led groups into community psychological first aiders (CPFA) which can be easily connected through mobile technology.

The provision of the U.S. Federal Award for capacity building and technology adoption for strengthening gender-based violence awareness, prevention and response through community-based psycho-social support in Benue state led to the development of GBV Tête-à-tête.

This is envisaged to further bring Nigeria closer to the broader goals of U.S. government being the global leader on empowerment of women and girls.

GBV Tête-à-tête was developed to offer users multiple benefits for knowledge, social connect and community support. The goals of GBV Tête-à-tête are:

- Capacity development for prospective community-based psychological first aiders
 Conversations that increase GBV prevention
 Psycho-social support to GBV survivors

Development team
Project director - Atinuke Odukoya
Project technology consultant- Eniola Olowu
Lead developer- Okechukwu Ezekiel
Learning facilitators - Sosunmola Shoyinka, Jibiril Abdulmalik, Atinuke Odukoya, Elizabeth Jeiyol, Beatrice Onoja and Stephen Pamela
Learning consultant - Olawumi Ajayi
Knowledge material - Oluwatobi Opadokun
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Centre for Women's Health and Information

Additional Information