10th December, 2023
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting women and girls from Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and advancing their rights.
The Minister for Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, revealed this at a symposium in Abuja to commemorate 16 days of activism against GBV hosted by the Voice Communities of Practice CoP.
Kennedy-Ohanenye, represented by Edo Ekata, the Principal Community Development Officer in the Gender Affairs Department, said GBV was still a global threat.
“Statistics show that one in three women and girls aged 15-49 have been victims of violence and one in every five have experienced physical violence in Nigeria.
“Also 31% have experienced sexual violence while 5% of women have experienced physical violence during pregnancy,” she said.
Kennedy-Ohanenye, on the other hand, stated that the ministry, as a national gender machinery, was leaving no stone unturned in advocating that Nigeria was suitable for everybody.
She said the ministry had taken significant initiatives to stop the tide of the heinous menace, including the launch of the sex offender Register, which aims to identify and shame GBV abusers.
She announced the launch of the National GBV Data Collation Tool, which will allow stakeholders to collect and submit GBV data to the ministry for effective coordination and planning.