By Linus Aleke
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence is a grave threat to society, a faith-based group, under the aegis of ACT Alliance Forum Nigeria, has said.
Addressing a press conference, as part of activities lined up for the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), in Abuja, the General Secretary, of the Christian Council of Nigerian, Very Rev. Evans Onyemara said, gender-based violence reflects historically, unequal power relations between men and women.
He said, that gender-based violence in Nigeria is growing astronomically with the increase in armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters.
He also frowns at trends where women defenders are routinely targeted with harassment, hate speech, discrimination, dissemination of personal or intimate information, defamation and all other forms of online violence to silence and punish their public participation in social media.
Rev. Onyemara said gender-based violence becomes worrisome when such violence extends to those whom the survivors of violence look up to for support and justice.
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Explaining how this anti-social behaviour is a threat to society, Dr Onyemara, said: “Sexual and gender-based violence does not only undermine the safety, dignity and overall health and human rights of individuals who experience it, but also, the public health, socioeconomic well being, and security of communities”.
He inferred that while the nature and extent of specific types of gender-based violence vary across cultures, countries and regions, it is prevalent everywhere.
He noted that this variety of violence knows no social, economic or national boundaries.
“In Nigeria, the prevalence of gender-based violence is growing astronomically with the increase in armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters. The harmful practices of child marriage and female genital mutilation prevalent across the country, trafficking in women, girls, and children, and conflict in the northeast geopolitical zone which see women and children increasingly used as an instrument of war have contributed to step rise in violence against women resulting in heightened vulnerability manifested in stigmatization and rejection by families and communities,” he concluded.
