At the Improved Sexual Health and Rights Advocacy Initiative (ISHRAI), we understand the deep, lasting impact of targeted violence, entrapment, and blackmail (kito). Healing from these experiences requires a community that understands, but more importantly, it requires a secure space to talk about these violations without judgment or fear.
To support our community in Lagos, ISHRAI is hosting a specialized, one-day group therapy and psychosocial support intervention. Facilitated by an expert trauma-informed psychotherapist, this session is designed to help survivors process their experiences, share their heavy burdens, and begin the journey toward emotional recovery.
This specialized group therapy intervention is organized in direct implementation of our broader project titled, “Addressing kito violence against LGBTIQ Individuals in Nigeria.” Through this initiative, ISHRAI is deeply committed to moving beyond immediate crisis response, ensuring that marginalized survivors receive the structured, trauma-informed psychosocial support they need to heal, reclaim their agency, and build collective resilience against targeted abuse.
2. Core Objectives of the Session
This intervention is built to provide holistic trauma processing and communal healing. Our goals for the day are to:
- Facilitate Trauma-Informed Counseling: Systematically address the acute trauma, anxiety, and distress resulting from targeted violence and betrayal.
- Establish a De-escalated Safe Space: Create a highly inclusive environment free from institutional or social judgment where survivors can unpack collective grief and rebuild shattered self-confidence.
- Equip Survivors with Coping Mechanisms: Introduce practical somatic grounding, mindfulness techniques, and emotional regulation tools to navigate long-term recovery.
- Foster Ecosystem Solidarity: Reduce individual isolation by connecting participants with a mutual peer-support network, reminding them that they are not alone.
3. Safety, Privacy, and Confidentiality
Your safety is our absolute highest priority. We recognize the profound risk and anxiety associated with coming forward.
- Strict Confidentiality: Everything shared within the therapy circle remains strictly confidential. No individual stories or identifiable information will be recorded or shared outside the room.
- Secure Environment: The session will be held in a highly secured, private facility. To ensure complete privacy and zero distractions, the intervention will take place on a day when our general administrative staff are working remotely.
- Vetted Participation: All applicants will undergo a brief, discreet vetting process to ensure the room is filled only with genuine survivors committed to mutual healing.
- 4. Eligibility: Who Should Apply?
- This call is open to all rightsholders in Lagos who are survivors of kito violence.
- Priority Groups: Women, Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) individuals, and persons who have newly experienced abuse within the last 12 months are strongly encouraged to apply.
- 5. Logistics and Support
- Duration: Participants will attend one full-day session.
- Cost: This intervention is entirely free of charge.
- Welfare: ISHRAI will provide comprehensive transportation support (stipends) for your safe travel to and from the venue. A warm lunch and light refreshments will also be provided during the session.
How to Apply
- If you are ready to take this step toward healing, please fill out the secure application form here.
- If you have any immediate concerns regarding your safety or the application process, please reach out to us directly at +234 810 740 2486 or Info@ishraing.org.