By Linus Aleke
“Gender-based violence won’t end, because of revenge, lies, hypocrisy and double standards, but it will end when we speak the truth always, doing what is right and the law doing what is right without fear or favour.”

The above quote from an anonymous author outlined some incontrovertible truth that if properly retooled, will open the floodgate that will submerge the cancerous evil called gender-based violence.

This incontrovertible reality includes but is not limited to speaking the truth always, doing what is right, and the law doing what is right without fear or favor.

Regrettably, the shameless and inglorious activities of pedophiles, rapists and other categories of gender-based violence increasingly dot the pages of newspapers, the screen of televisions, the airwave of radio stations, and lately the cyberspaces.

But to reduce the spate of gender-based violence in the world as is evidenced in daily media reports, a multi-faceted approach is required to fish out and confine the perpetrators in solitary, using legal instruments, to serve as a deterrent to others.

It is, however, on the strength of the aforesaid and the wisdom in the opening quote that the European Union Delegation to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is waging the war against GBV through partnership and funding of organizations that mainstreamed gender-based violence in its forecast of events.

Giving insight into the activities of the European Union in Nigeria, especially as it relates to the topic under scrutiny, the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Samuela Isopi said, to end GBV, there is a need for a holistic approach to gender equality, as well as build partnerships across the board.

She posited that as proven by the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, a holistic approach to GBV is 70-90% more effective than other models.

Noting that the world can make a difference if it joins forces with all the stakeholders, the EU ambassador said, that is why the EU will remain strongly engaged.

Isopi said, while the spotlight initiative and RoLAC are ending next year, the EU is mobilising new funds and will continue to support the Nigerian government and stakeholders in the effort to curb gender-based violence.

The ambassador said, “More broadly, support for women’s empowerment and gender equality is a key priority for the European Union, in all areas of our work. The EU has its Gender Action Plan in all partner countries which guides our action in support of gender equality.

At least 85 per cent of all EU programmes must have gender equality as a significant or principal objective. In the case of Nigeria, this means that the EU’s overall gender-sensitive action would be over Euros 425m”.

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The EU, she said, will also continue to engage in high-level dialogue on gender equality with the Nigerian government, and with civil society and use public diplomacy to engage with the public and create greater public awareness.

Isopi asserted that the next administration in Nigeria must continue to prioritise the fight against gender-based violence and therefore, called on all candidates and political parties to prioritize gender equality and women’s empowerment.

She posited that violence against women and girls should be everyone’s concern and partisan whole-of-country combat.

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Assuring that the European Union will remain committed to its ambition to end violence against women inside and outside the EU, the Ambassador called for unity in saying no to gender-based violence, not only today or during the 16 days of advocacy but every single day.

In a related development, the European Union called on state governors that are yet to pass the Child Right Act (2003), and the Violence against Persons Prohibition Act (2015), to support their passage and implementation.

In a statement to mark the end of this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the EU said there is a need for all to stand up and speak out against gender-based violence in all its forms.

The Press Officer, Delegation of the European Union to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Modestus Chukwulaka, explained that the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is a key moment of the year and is important to make sure that gender-based violence remains on top of its priorities.

The statement reads, “There is no excuse for violence against women. It is a human rights violation and a crime. It is preventable and change is possible, with the right policies, the right action, and a strong political will and commitment. Gender-based violence can only stop if we end the impunity of perpetrators.

“Violence against women and girls happens in every country. The facts are shocking, in the European Union and across the world, one in three women has experienced physical or sexual violence. One in five girls today is a victim of child sexual abuse. Online violence is on the rise, with one in two young women experiencing gender-based cyber violence.”

The statement added that data and facts are essential to taking stock of the state of gender-based violence in Nigeria.

Chukwulaka said it was on the above premise that the EU Delegation joined the UN and the Nigerian Government in launching a report code-named, “Facts about Violence against Women and Girls in Nigeria”.

The new report which, was sponsored by the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, highlighted key facts about GBV in Nigeria.

These facts the statement disclosed that one in three women in Nigeria (age 15-49), have experienced sexual violence.

“One in four girls including very young ones, experience sexual violence. Half of the girl child who experienced gender-based violence experienced it at home. Only 0.9 per cent of perpetrators of sexual assault are brought to trial, almost none of them are convicted,” the new report further revealed.

This report, the EU press officer said, also recognises the positive developments and progress made in Nigeria, in the improvement of the legal framework (through the widespread adoption and domestication of the VAPP and Child Rights Acts).

Other areas, he said, include social advocacy and awareness raising, as well as increasing the availability and access to services through the creation of 32 Sexual Assault Referral Centres in 19 states.

These developments, he further revealed are the result of a strong political commitment, but regretted that, the state of GBV in Nigeria remains worrisome.

“We need to keep the momentum. The EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, the Nigeria Governors’ Wives Forum, and the Inter-ministerial Management Committee on GBV worked together to develop the SGBV Accountability Tracker (SGBVAT). This is a key tool for taking stock of the state of GBV in Nigeria,” the statement further revealed.

The EU concluded that the SGBV Accountability Tracker is a one-stop shop for all GBV-related information.

However, an International Non-Governmental Organisation, operating in Nigeria under the aegis of Christian Aid (UK), Nigeria, has identified a new monster that is slowing down the fight against gender-based violence.

Senior Communications Coordinator, Christian Aid (UK) Nigeria, Mr Kehinde Afolabi, made this revelation in a statement, in Abuja.

While joining the global community to call for an end to all forms of gender-based violence, Christian Aid (UK), Nigeria, also, urged the Nigerian Government and all duty-bearers to prioritize the protection of women rights activists who are at the forefront of fighting Gender Based Violence.

He noted that this past decade has seen the productive efforts of grassroots activists, women’s human rights defenders, and movements move strategies for ending violence against women higher on the political agenda than never before in Nigeria.

This, he said, is evident in the review and passage of laws that protect women in most of the states of the country.

Afolabi, however, lamented that the social, political, and economic impact of some life-changing events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Nigeria’s October 2020 End-SARS crisis threatened the few gains that have been recorded in this struggle as the country witnessed the exposure of deep structural inequalities and heightened occurrences of various forms of violence against women and girls.

He said it is especially worrisome when such violence extends to those whom the survivors of violence look up to for support and justice.

According to Christian Aid, “We now see a common trend where women defenders are routinely targeted with harassment, hate speech, discrimination, dissemination of personal or intimate information, defamation, and other forms of online violence to silence and punish their public participation in social media.

“Besides the direct psycho-social effect of this on the rights defenders, it also sends a negative message to survivors of violence, as well as upcoming women human rights defenders. A shrinking civic space, especially for women and girls, will only take us back to the era of the intense culture of silence; an adversary that held many survivors hostage for too long.”

He noted that as an organization committed to promoting Gender and Social Inclusion, Christian Aid, will continue to publicly take a position against all forms of violence targeting women and girls.

“We stand in solidarity with all women rights defenders and do our part in resisting the rollback on women’s rights. We will unite with others to raise awareness on violence against women and girls in local communities and encourage all Nigerians to take a firm stand against violence,” the statement further said.

He said the advocacy is part of its commitment to prevent and end Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria as the world marks the 2022 International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls.

Afolabi concluded that every year, the 16 Days of Activism period reminds the world of the persistence of the most widespread breach of human rights ever: violence against women and girls.