By: Mnena Iyorkegh, Abuja
The United Nations has advocated for a reaffirmed commitment from stakeholders to advancing gender equality towards ending gender-based violence in Nigeria and beyond.
The call was made at a convening of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs) organized by UN Women to strengthen partnerships, promote effective collective actions, and raise awareness of the need for increased investment towards achieving SDG 5 and addressing violence against women and girls in Nigeria.
Humanity is confronted with the harsh reality that gender-based violence continues to be a pervasive and deeply rooted problem in society. It affects women and girls of all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life, depriving them of their fundamental rights and freedoms.
Speaking at the event, the Acting UN Resident Coordinator to Nigeria and the Country Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Ms. Vanessa Phala, stressed that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is a violation of human rights, a barrier to development, and a threat to peace and security that needs synergy to curb it.
“Synergy and coordinated efforts are critical in ending violence against women and girls. You Civil Society Organisations are in a better position to actually influence any form and the outcome of this initiative. Your expertise and knowledge of this situation are instrumental in co-creating the kind of information that we want, going forward. It is important to know this and to continue to forge ahead and bring our efforts together so that we can continue on this difficult but exciting journey because the result of it will be for all Nigerians to enjoy. As we gather here today, we must reaffirm our commitment to end violence against women and promote gender equality and women’s empowerment, and this requires coordinated efforts across all levels of society including government, CSOs, private sectors, and communities,” Phala stressed.
Similarly, the UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Beatrice Eyong, explained that data from the Mirabel Centre in Lagos shows that 81 percent of reported cases of sexual assault between 2013 and 2019 were perpetrated against children, and only 67 percent of the perpetrators were known, which calls for more efforts to address GBV. “Women’s voices continue to be marginalized with Nigeria holding the lowest figure for women’s representation in politics. Unfortunately, this situation impacts negatively on the gender profile of Nigeria. Much still needs to be done to ensure the effective implementation of relevant laws and policies through adequate funding to sustain the achievements recorded in the last few years and the establishment of relevant institutions to drive the implementation of the existing legal frameworks that speak to ending violence against women and girls and promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment,” she said.
Ms. Eyong added, “As practitioners, we are all very familiar with the statistics, but we must never become numb to the fact that each number represents a life. A life with ambitions, potential, and one that has value. Today’s convening provides us with an opportunity to take stock of our achievements in the last five (5) years, identify gaps and challenges, and explore new strategies and partnerships to accelerate progress towards ending violence against women and promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. Your insights, expertise, and experiences are invaluable as we work together to create a more just, equal, and violence-free society for all. I encourage you to actively participate in the discussions, share your knowledge and best practices, and engage in constructive dialogue with your peers and partners. Let us use this platform to renew our commitment to the cause, to learn from each other, and to strengthen our collective efforts to achieve our common goals.”
According to the Director of Women Development, Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs. Funke Ladipo, without women’s economic empowerment, addressing Gender-Based Violence will not be possible.
“The fact remains that without women’s economic empowerment, the rate of Violence against women, we will not be able to curb it effectively. The commission this year looks at the importance of economic empowerment for women. With this, a lot of other issues will be achieved because a woman who is economically empowered will have enough confidence and be able to train her children and resist violence,” she noted.
Speaking on behalf of the Civil Society Organization, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Professor Joy Ezeilo, called for support and total inclusion of women in all affairs.
“We need to reimagine what works well. Constitution and labor reforms are ongoing; we need capacity for women. We need to deepen the capacity of women groups who are advocates. Moving with the whole of women in Nigeria is important, and recognizing our differences is equally important but not using our differences to divide us but using it as a political resource. They should continue to mobilize resources and support Civil Society and women’s groups to enable them to carry out their respective mandates.”
The convening is part of the UN Women – Ford Foundation project known as Traditional and Cultural Leaders for Ending GBV by Advancing Advocacy, Policy, and Social Norms Change in Nigeria and West Africa – LEAP. The initiative seeks to engage traditional and religious leaders as powerful agents of social change to address underlying structures of power within communities, end harmful practices, and transform cultural norms surrounding violence and discrimination against women and girls.”
