31% Nigerian Women Suffer Sexual, Physical Violence — Minister

The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim connected Wednesday disclosed that astir 31 percent of Nigerian women betwixt the ages of 15 and 49 years experienced carnal violence.

This is conscionable arsenic the Minister besides hinted that implicit 28 percent of women crossed Nigeria person suffered a lawsuit of intersexual unit astatine slightest erstwhile successful their lifetime.

Hajia Sulaiman-Ibrahim stated that disposable statistic person shown the “stark reality” of Nigeria, notwithstanding immoderate advancement recorded successful the combat against Gender Based Violence (GBV).

The Minister disclosed these successful Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, portion speaking astatine the Sexual Assault Referral Centre successful the authorities wherever she had a stop-over during a moving sojourn she made to the authorities capital.

Speaking further, the Minister lamented that the fig was not conscionable an mean statistics, but chap citizens who “are daughters, sisters, mothers, and neighbours,” saying “each fig carries a quality look and a quality story.

“They punctual america that gender-based unit is not a backstage occupation but a assemblage situation that undermines peace, household life, and development.”

The Minister said the statistic showed that large stakeholders indispensable enactment urgently, with some compassion and commitment.

She said nether the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, her ministry has embedded the imaginativeness successful the Social Impact Intervention Programmes designed to “restore dignity, grow opportunities, and fortify families, ensuring that nary woman, child, oregon susceptible idiosyncratic is near behind.”

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Adijat-Adeleye explained that the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) and the Women Development Centre were established due to the fact that the authorities authorities believes that “healing indispensable spell hand-in-hand with rebuilding.”

Adijat-Adeleye, a erstwhile subordinate of the House of Assembly, said, “At the SARC, survivors travel successful with pain, but they bash not stay defined by it. Here, wounds are treated, tears are wiped, voices are restored, and shattered lives statesman the travel to wholeness again.

“But arsenic we reflected, we asked ourselves: what happens aft the tears are wiped and the scars statesman to heal? Survivors request much than conscionable recovery, they request renewal. That is why, conscionable a fewer steps away, we placed the Women Development Centre,” she said.

She, however, called connected the Federal Government for much backing enactment for involution projects, grassroots awareness, stronger policies, and wider programmes that guarantee that nary subsister slips done the cracks.

“If Ogun State has lit the occurrence of extortion and empowerment, we inquire that the Federal Government to determination much lipid that makes the occurrence intolerable to quench,” Adeleye said.