Bukola Afeni
Civil Society Organizations has called for more strengthened prevention and response mechanisms to reduce sexual and gender-based violence in Nigeria.
KASA, an initiative aimed at addressing sexual violence in Nigeria, whose campaign was funded by the African Women Development Fund through White Ribbon Alliance (WRA) Kenya stated this while briefing Journalists in Nigeria.
The group stated this on the sidelines of the survey where they engaged over 5,000 women, girls and vulnerable people across four States in Nigeria suffering from sexual violence.
The Representative of the African Women Development Fund, Christy Asala, said the data obtained from the survey is of great concern.
“ The data that we observed from the survey is a source of concern because the numbers are enormous and during the listening session, the respondents were able to share from their experiences, what happened to them, or a relative that has been sexually abused”.
She urged stakeholders in the gender sector to always create a safe environment where survivors can share personal experiences.
”We might have a lot of elders coming out to speak up because at that point they have nothing to lose. The perpetrator can tell them, If you talk I will kill you, I will harm you, but when you bring them to a safe space they begin to talk, so there is a need for a peaceful environment for them to open up to you”, she noted.
Asala disclosed that during a survey across the four states, women, girls and vulnerable individuals were asked what they wanted and how they would address sexual violence.
“Among the 5,426 respondents, about 47% disclosed that they had experienced sexual violence.
Further analysis of age-specific data brought to light varying prevalence rates
“Those above 60 years reported a 61% incidence, while respondents aged 21-30, 31-40, and 41-50 faced a shared rate of 51%. Respondents aged 51-60 encountered a 49% Prevalence, and individuals aged 10-20 revealed a troubling 39% exposure to sexual violence,” she said.
Research Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Charles Jang, said 61% of the respondents are above age 60. While 39% of respondents are from age 10-20.
He added that less data from ages 10-20 is a result of a lack of knowledge of sexual violence and people being afraid due to the environment.
“We need to improve the magnitude of the result at the state level. A whole lot of people are trying to break the culture of silence, but at the point where they will come and report, the procedure is not followed till the end.
It is either the Ministry of Justice is not meeting up or the police force is defaulting “, he said.
