The Power of Awareness: Why Ending GBV Starts With Everyday Conversations

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) doesn’t begin with violence—it begins with silence.

The silence in classrooms where no one talks about consent. The silence in communities where abuse is ignored. The silence in homes where young girls are told to endure rather than speak up. And perhaps most dangerously, the silence of bystanders who choose not to see.

At HerRise Foundation, we are committed to breaking that silence. Through our “Voices Against VAWG” project, supported by the Nigerian Women’s Trust Fund, we’ve been traveling into communities not just to hold events—but to ignite conversations.

One of these conversations recently took place at Brain Prosper International School in Mile 50, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. There, we engaged with educators—not just as professionals, but as community influencers, parents, and protectors. The staff didn’t just listen—they leaned in. They asked questions, shared concerns, and reminded us why these spaces matter so deeply.

Here’s the truth we cannot ignore:

1 in 4 girls in Nigeria will experience sexual violence before the age of 18 (UNICEF, 2020).

Not because the girls don’t want justice—but because they don’t believe they’ll be heard. Because somewhere along the line, society taught them that their pain was too inconvenient, too shameful, too small to matter.

This has to change. And it can. So what now?

We keep talking. We keep teaching. We keep showing up—in schools, in homes, in policy rooms, and on the streets. Because silence will never protect our daughters. And awareness without action is just noise.

When a community understands the cost of inaction, it begins to move differently. Teachers start to notice. Parents start to ask questions. Boys begin to unlearn. Girls begin to speak.

This is the slow, steady work of change—and it starts with awareness.

Not every solution comes from a courtroom. Some of the most powerful change begins with a simple conversation in a classroom, or a listening ear in a staff room.

That’s why we’ll keep going. Because every voice lifted against GBV adds to a chorus that can no longer be ignored.