By G9ija
Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen has identified the culture of silence, impunity, cultural stereotypes, failures of law enforcement agents to properly investigate rape cases, toxic ingrained prejudice against women and insufficient support for survivors as challenges to the success of the fight against sexual and gender-based violence, GBV, in the country.
Tallen listed these impediment-factors to a successful fight against GBV at the high-level Orange the World ceremony and lighting of the United Nations, UN, House’ event which was convened by the Office of the United Nations’ Resident Coordinator and the UN-Women, Nigeria Country Office, to commemorate the 2022 edition of 16-Days of Activism against GBV, held at the UN House, Abuja.
While giving her special remark at the event which was part of the programme activities lined up for the 2022 edition of 16-Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence with the theme: “Unite: Activism to end Violence Against Women and Girls”, the Minister said enough actions have not been taken to tackle rape cases in Nigeria with the seriousness it deserves.
She further disclosed that despite Federal Government’s declaration of “State of emergency” on sexual and gender-based violence, rape has persisted, adding that it is now at crisis level, with most survivors denied justice and rapists are able to avoid prosecution while hundreds of cases of rape are happening, but unreported due to stigma and victim’ blaming.
The Minister who was represented by the Director of Women Development Department of Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs. Funke Oladipo at the event, emphasized that the fear of not being believed, made many survivors of GBV not to persist at seeking justice.
She declared that it was unacceptable that survivors of rape and other forms of GBV face tortuous ordeal to get justice.
Tallen revealed that at present, 11,000 cases of rape have been reported with fatal cases standing at 401,592 also stating that 3,507 cases were still open, with only 33 persons convicted so far.
The minister therefore called for capacity building to sensitize security officials and also mobilize actions against all form of abuse and violence against women and girls.
While reiterating that this year’s theme was aimed at mobilizing all citizens who may be in civil society organizations, women rights organizations, in the UN System, in organizations working with men and boys, in the Universities, in the private sector, in sports’ clubs and associations, the minister urged all individuals to become activists for the prevention of violence against women.
She also called on everybody to stand as advocate and in solidarity to resist the roll-back of women rights so as to have a world free from violence against women and girls.
Earlier, in her address at the occasion, the UN-Women Country Representative in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Beatrice Eyong said 30% of girls and women aged between 15 and 49 have experienced sexual abuse in the country.
She disclosed that the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey shows that 14% of women in Nigeria have equally experienced physical violence; noting that cases of violence against women have increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
She disclosed that UN report have revealed that by April, 2020, cases of gender-based violence increased by 56% after only two weeks of lockdown.
According to her, the objective of the orange ceremony and lighting of the UN Building is to strengthen partnership to end violence against women and girls.
Eyong added that the official orange lighting initiative of the UN Building is integral to UN-Women and the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE Campaign which is used to “symbolize a brighter future without violence.”
She therefore, called on partners to join the UN-Women in promoting the orange campaign throughout the 16 days and beyond so as to galvanize more support to end violence against women and girls.
She also called for a collective and systematic efforts in dealing with gender-based violence and other forms of exploitations against women.
