Professional Design of a Gender-Based Violence Data Collection System for Kogi State

Gender-based violence data in Kogi State are fragmented across police, health facility, and NGO records without harmonisation, making it impossible to track prevalence trends or evaluate programme effects, and designing a coordinated data collection system addresses this critical evidence gap. This study designed a gender-based violence data collection and monitoring system for Kogi State, drawing on assessment of current data flows across the state Police Command, Ministry of Women Affairs, three civil society organisations, and 20 PHC facilities. A professional design methodology was applied, incorporating structured consultations with 16 state officials and programme managers, documentary review of GBVIMS global guidelines and UNFPA data collection standards, and benchmarking against comparable systems in Oyo and Lagos States. Assessment confirmed that each agency collected GBV data using different case definitions, that inter-agency data sharing was absent, and that survivor confidentiality protocols were inconsistent. The system designed specifies a standardised GBV case report form aligned with the global GBVIMS, a central de-identified state database, a secure referral pathway tracking mechanism, data access governance protocols, and a quarterly state GBV data bulletin. Expert review by eight GBV data and protection specialists confirmed the system's design adequacy. The study recommends UNFPA fund system deployment, train facility GBV data reporters, and integrate the system with Nigeria's National Population Commission vital events registry to ensure demographic context for GBV data analysis.

Keywords: gender-based violence data, GBV surveillance, Kogi State, GBVIMS, data coordination