From Abdullahi Alhassan, Kaduna
From the police desk to the courtroom and ministry offices, public officials in Kaduna are learning a new way to serve: lead with empathy, not just procedure.
That shift was at the heart of a 2-day Trauma-Informed Approach training held in Kaduna this week, organized by Carefronting Nigeria under the SPRiNG programme. The programme is focused on strengthening systems that protect women, girls and other vulnerable groups.
The training gathered a cross-section of duty bearers: officers of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, staff of the Kaduna State Multi-Door Court House, officials from the Ministries of Women Affairs and Youth Development, Civil Society Organizations, and community and traditional leaders.
Moving Beyond “Business As Usual”
Facilitators said the aim was to give frontline workers tools to recognize trauma, respond without causing further harm, and build services around safety and dignity.
Participants worked through six key areas: how trauma impacts the brain and body; identifying trauma responses in different people; applying trauma-informed principles at work; creating safe environments; avoiding re-traumatization; and practicing self-care to build community resilience.
Ms. Tessy Gusim, Senior Programme Manager at Carefronting Nigeria, said institutions must stop treating every complaint as just another file.
“Trauma is not limited to war zones — it permeates our communities, institutions, and daily interactions,” Gusim said. “When a survivor walks into a police station or a government office, they are carrying pain with them. If we don’t respond with understanding, we become part of the problem.”
She described the goal as building “trauma literacy” across MDAs — from how questions are asked, to how waiting rooms are arranged, to how victims are treated.
One Problem, Many Sectors
Organizers stressed that trauma and mental health cannot be fixed by one agency alone. It touches security, justice, health, education and social welfare.
To reflect that, the training deliberately mixed participants. An NSCDC officer did group work with a court mediator. A ministry official shared case studies with a CSO worker and a community leader.
“The SPRiNG programme is about a unified response,” Gusim noted. “One that puts people first — their safety, their recovery, their dignity.”
A representative from the Ministry of Women Affairs described the training as “long overdue,” saying many of the cases they handle involve survivors of violence and displacement who need support, not more stress.
For an NSCDC officer at the training, the biggest lesson was communication. “We now see that the way we talk to someone in distress can either help them heal or shut them down completely,” he said.
More Trainings Planned
Carefronting Nigeria said the Kaduna session is just the beginning. Under SPRiNG, similar trainings and partnerships will be rolled out across the state in the coming months.
“The SPRiNG programme and Carefronting Nigeria remain committed to expanding trauma-informed practices across Kaduna State and beyond,” the organization said.
Experts say the approach could improve mental health awareness, make justice more accessible, and make government services more humane — particularly for women and children who are most affected by conflict and violence.
The core message participants left with was a simple change in mindset: instead of asking “What is wrong with you?”, institutions should start by asking “What happened to you?”
That one question, they agreed, could change how Kaduna delivers justice, protection and care.
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