The Anglican Compassion and Development Initiative (ACADI) has launched a sweeping internal mandate to enforce a zero-tolerance policy against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) within the Church of Nigeria. Backed by a strategic partnership with the Ford Foundation, the initiative exposes the uncomfortable reality of domestic abuse hiding behind religious facades and demands structural accountability from faith leaders.

During a high-level dialogue session in Abuja titled “Dialogue to Action: Advocating GBV Prevention and Advancing Organisational Sustainability,” ACADI Governing Council Chairman Professor Adesegun Farusi issued a stark warning to religious institutions that turn a blind eye to the crisis. For policymakers in Kenya, Uganda, and the broader global diaspora, the Anglican Church’s unprecedented move offers a blueprint for weaponizing faith-based networks to dismantle entrenched patriarchal violence.

Confronting Cultural Roots Within the Church

Historically, religious spaces have struggled to adequately protect survivors, often weaponizing scripture to enforce endurance over justice. Professor Farusi confronted this legacy directly, acknowledging that GBV is deeply rooted in cultural norms that inevitably bleed into congregational life.

“Gender-based violence happens in churches across the world. Sometimes, the challenge is that when you discuss GBV in church communities, people are surprised. But the Bible is about truth, and Christians are about truth,” Farusi argued, insisting that institutional denial is no longer tenable.

This sentiment was amplified by Mrs. Didi Walson-Jack, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, who previously condemned the weaponization of religion at an ACADI summit. She declared GBV a “public sin,” noting that survivors are too often instructed to pray harder or endure abuse to protect family reputation, effectively utilizing theological misinterpretation to excuse physical harm.

The ‘CON Prevent GBV’ Strategic Framework

The cornerstone of the Church’s response is the “CON Prevent GBV” project, a comprehensive three-year operational plan designed to fundamentally alter how the Anglican Communion handles abuse. Funded by the Ford Foundation, the program is migrating from awareness campaigns to actionable, structural interventions.

• Scale of Deployment: Implementation spans 122 Dioceses across Nigeria over a three-year period.
• Capacity Building: Training of 737 GBV Master Trainers across 67 dioceses by the close of 2024.
• Core Objectives: Prevention, aggressive advocacy, formalized referral systems, and secure knowledge management for survivor protection.
• Integration: Partnering with Medical Ambassadors International to deploy the Community Health Evangelism (CHE) program at the grassroots level.

Government and Civil Society Synergy

ACADI’s strategy relies heavily on dissolving the traditional boundaries between the pulpit and the state. Mrs. Nneka Ifeoma Onyea, a legal practitioner and advocate, emphasized during the dialogue that the burden of eradicating violence cannot fall solely on the government or civil society organizations (CSOs).

By establishing faith-based organizations as formal legal entities within each diocese, ACADI enables local parishes to seamlessly interface with government law enforcement, the judiciary, and specialized CSOs. This interconnected approach ensures that perpetrators face legal prosecution rather than just internal church discipline, shifting the paradigm from quiet mediation to public accountability.

A Model for the Global Faith Community

The scale of the Anglican Church’s intervention resonates far beyond Nigeria’s borders. In East Africa, where institutions like the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) possess massive societal influence, ACADI’s Ford Foundation-backed methodology provides a replicable, data-driven framework for addressing systemic abuse.

The initiative forces religious hierarchies globally to answer a fundamental question: are their sanctuaries functioning as safe havens for the vulnerable, or as shields for perpetrators? As ACADI pushes its mandate into 122 dioceses, the Church of Nigeria has firmly chosen the path of radical transparency.