By Ijeoma UKAZU
Following the rise in sexual and gender-based violence in Nigeria, a civil society organizations has called on stakeholders to heighten the preventive and response mechanisms to reduce the menace in Nigeria.
Stating this while briefing journalists during a virtual event, KASA, an organization aimed at addressing sexual violence in Nigeria, whose campaign was funded by the African Women Development Fund through White Ribbon Alliance, WRA, Kenya said its focus is to amplify the voices of women and girls in the communities.
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.
According to her, “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.”
Asala 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.
Disclosing her findings during the survey, Asala said 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 per cent 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 per cent incidence, while respondents aged 21-30, 31-40, and 41-50 faced a shared rate of 51 per cent. Respondents aged 51-60 encountered a 49 per cent prevalence, and individuals aged 10-20 revealed a troubling 39 per cent exposure to sexual violence,” she said.
The Research, Monitoring and Evaluation officer, Cognito, Charles Jang said 61 per cent of the respondents are above age 60. While 39 per cent of respondents are from age 10-20.
Jang 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.
He adds that “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 until the end. It is either the Ministry of Justice is not meeting up or the police force is defaulting.”
Onyinye Mamah, a coordinator of the survey in Enugu State said the mechanisms for eliminating gender violence need to be improved across the country but mostly in Enugu.
Mamah, who heads the Heroin Women Foundation in the State, called for strong reporting mechanisms as cases have often fallen through the cracks with victims not getting justice.
“When we report to the Ministry of Justice or the Police or other agencies, they don’t take it as seriously as NGOs do. All the NGOs can do is mini-rehabilitation but cannot punish offenders,” she said.