Ijeoma UKAZU
A quote from Audre Lorde says; “your silence will not protect you”, resonates the need for survivors of any form of violence to break the silence, speak up and seek help.
Seeking help provides access to solutions, brings emotional and psychological comfort as well as easing every burden that stems from the abuse while enabling women to take hold of their lives.
In Nigeria, according to an advocacy brochure titled: “Gender in Nigeria 2020” published by Dataphyte states that 55 percent of women who experienced physical or sexual violence did not seek help nor tell anyone while those who sought help to stop the abuse were only 32 percent.
The Dataphyte, research, and data analytics organization further revealed that, educational attainment and wealth had no bearing with “help-seeking”, adding that, women who experienced violence sought help mostly from family members are 73 percent compared to 26 percent of those that sought help from their husbands/partners family.
The report also says, only a minimal four percent seek help from a religious leader, while one percent each sought help from doctors or medical personnel, the police, or lawyers, while, a negligible proportion of women also sought help from a social work organization.
Commenting in an interview with The Abuja Inquirer in Lagos during a field trip organized by United Nations-European Union Spotlight Initiative, a surveillance team member and Spotlight Initiative advocate for Gender Base Violence at the Mainland Local Government Area Lagos state, Mrs. Prudence Abbas pointed that, while on advocacy, her team encourages women to seek help when abused.
Abbas said, “Gone are those days when women cover abuse. There are NGOs that are now on board enlightening women on the need to speak out and sought help on domestic violence, Gender Base Violence, sexual abuse, rape, sexual harassment, exploitation”.
On survivor counseling, she said, “our team has those in charge of social welfare that counsel these survivors. Also, we have some gender-trained police officers that sometimes counsels as well as Women’s Right Advancement and Protection Alternative, WRAPA.
“For medical care, survivors have a referral point- a Primary Healthcare Centre that is close by where they get free medical attention. This is a way to encourage women to speak up and seek help when abused”.
Looking at the help-seeking behaviour by percentage of women age 15 to 49 years who have ever experienced physical or sexual violence, the Dataphyte report states that; for physical violence only, 29.9 per cent sought help to stop violence, while sexual abuse has 26.4 per cent and 39.5 per cent of both physical and sexual violence sought for help.
The survey report that, those who never sought help but told someone about any physical abuse were 12.5 per cent, only 15.5 per cent sought help for sexual violence, while only 17.7 per cent are for both physical and sexual.
However, the report said, those who never sought help or told someone has 57.5 per cent for physical abuse, 58.1 per cent for sexual violence alone, and 42.8 per cent for both physical and sexual.
In general, the Dataphyte survey pointed that, there is just a minimal change between the years 2013 and 2018 in the percentage of women who have experienced physical or sexual violence and those who sought help are 31 per cent and 32 per cent respectively.
Abbas called on women to speak up, report any form of abuse to the gender unit of the Nigerian police force in their location in order to end Violence Against Women And Girls, VAWG in Nigeria.
Speaking on child abuse in Lagos state, according to Child Protection Information Management Systems Data, from the Child Protection Unit, Ministry of Youths and Social Development says, about 1005 children in the state suffered various forms of sexual abuse in 2020 which include defilement and sexual assault.
The data which was made available by the ministry further revealed that between January and April 2021, the state recorded 213 cases of defilement and assault; 94 cases of physical abuse; 30 cases of child abandonment; lost but found, 45; child labour 42; neglected/emotional abuse, 44 and parents seeking shelter for their children, 52.
The Assistant Director in the Ministry, Olasunmbo Daniel in her presentation, during a four-day media dialogue on the Elimination of Violence Against Women And Girls in the state, said, the ministry through its Child Protection Unit responds to cases of abuse against children and protects them from harm.
The ministry revealed that besides sexual abuse, some children in the state also suffered physical and emotional abuse in the period under review.