Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - The federal government says it will establish an emergency gender-based violence response fund to address Nigeria’s significant financing gaps in prevention and survivor support services.
Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, minister of women affairs, announced
this at a high-level engagement on Monday in Abuja, to commemorate the 16 Days
of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
The event was organized in partnership with Women for Women
International, an international NGO.
Mrs Sulaiman-Ibrahim said the establishment of the fund had
become urgent as less than 0.5 per cent of the national budget currently went
to GBV prevention and response, leaving safe spaces and survivor support
centres severely under-resourced.
She decried the increasing cases of attacks on women and
girls, including the recent abduction of schoolchildren in Kebbi and Niger
States and the kidnapping of six female directors.
The minister described those incidents as a national
emergency that underscored the vulnerability of women across the country.
She said GBV remained one of Nigeria’s most pervasive human
rights violations, citing the National Demographic and Health Survey.
The survey, according to her, showed that 28 per cent of
women aged 15 to 49 had experienced physical violence, while 40 per cent had
suffered emotional abuse.
She added that in spite of rising reports, the national
conviction rate remained below five per cent.
The minister explained that the proposed response fund would
form part of the ministry’s 9-Pillar Renewed Hope Social Impact Intervention
Programme.
According to her, the initiative seeks to strengthen
institutions, expand safe spaces, and improve justice delivery through
specialised gender desks and courts in every state.
She added that efforts were underway to raise the national
GBV conviction rate from five per cent to 25 per cent by 2026, alongside plans
to establish comprehensive support centres in every senatorial district.
Mrs Sulaiman-Ibrahim commended recent landmark convictions
and called for a compassionate review of Ochanya’s case to ensure justice was
served.
She also urged government agencies, development partners,
civil society organisations, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and the
media to align with Nigeria’s National Action Plan.
Ending GBV, she said, was both a moral responsibility and a
development priority essential for national stability and economic progress.
Beatrice Eyong, UN women representative in Nigeria, noted
that while Nigeria had ratified key conventions and enacted laws such as the
VAPP Act and Child Rights Act, enforcement remained weak.
She stressed the need for stronger legal implementation,
ensuring perpetrators were held accountable, and expanding awareness programmes
to help both women and men recognise and prevent GBV in all its forms.
Ms Eyong also underscored the importance of response
systems, referencing one-stop centres set up through the Spotlight Initiative.
“These centres provide integrated services, including legal
aid, healthcare, psychosocial support, and economic reintegration for
survivors.”
She emphasized the critical roles of traditional leaders and
men in promoting prevention and protection initiatives, alongside the use of
technology and digital solutions to strengthen those efforts.
Thelma Ekiyor, CEO of Women for Women International,
outlined the organization’s structured Stronger Women, Stronger Nations
programme, which provided 12 months of leadership training, economic
empowerment, and community engagement.
Drawing lessons from 14 conflict-affected countries, Ms
Ekiyor emphasized five key areas: protection and safety, public awareness,
strengthened legal enforcement, provision of shelters, and men’s engagement.
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