A CLARION CALL TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN & GIRLS IN NIGERIA

The annual commemoration of the #16 days to end violence against Women and Girls ended on Sunday December 10^th 2023  with global theme - Invest in Women and Girls to Prevent Violence. This  is quite significant and very timely as studies have shown that Women and Girls remain vulnerable to Sexual & Gender Based Violence due to lack of financial and social resources leaving them at the mercy of their abusers and religious/cultural biases that tends to subjugate Women and Girls thus promoting toxic masculinity. Investing in Women and Girls to prevent require a conscious multifaceted effort by government at all levels, cultural and religious leaders and policy makers. The government needs to  put in place sustainable economic policies that ensures citizens irrespective of their socio-economic status are able to afford decent housing and earn a living wage that caters for their well-being while also establishing standard safe houses where victims of violence can run to, these homes should be equipped with basic psychosocial facilities with trained personnel and where victims of abuse can learn a vocational skill that would enable them to become financially independent.  The school curriculum needs to be re-modified to a gender responsive and transformative pedagogy by expunging specific gender roles for Men and Women particularly at household level but instead promote shared responsibilities. Religious and Traditional leaders need to begin to make Women particularly younger Women more visible by assigning to them leadership responsibilities. Additionally the Political Participation of Women is imperative even though sadly, this only becomes a subject of discussion every 4 years when it’s time for electioneering campaign, Political Parties must be intentional about Women Political Participation by allocating quotas to Women and these should be engrained in their constitution.

Finally, investing in Women and Girls to end Violence against Women and Girls requires concerted /deliberate efforts by the private sector in sponsoring innovative programs that not only creates awareness on Sexual & Gender Based Violence but also strategically addresses Toxic Masculinity while also empowering Women and Girls through programs that makes them financially independent thereby contributing to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and African Union Agenda 2063 in Nigeria.