By Ada Nkong
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Welfare Imaani Ibrahim says Nigeria has made reasonable progress in the fight to end violence against women and girls.
The Minister made the remark during a joint press briefing to flag off activities to mark the 2025 16 days activism to end violence against women and girls.
Citing the 2024 National Demographic and Health Survey,she said sexual violence, physical violence and intimate partner violence have declined with female genital mutilation dropping from 20% in 2018 to 14% in 2024.
She noted that according to state data, between January and September 2025, 10,326 cases of GBV were reported out of which 2, 440 survivors are currently receiving care in recovery centers around the states while 511 Survivors have been supported with livelihood Empowerment interventions.
The Minister expressed sorrow over the recent abduction of school girls in different states noting and called for decisive action to safeguard Nigerian children.
“These moments are a clarion call, urging decisive action to safeguard our children and reaffirm that no darkness, no act of violence, can break the spirit of our nation”.
On the theme of this year’s event which is , unite to end digital violence against women and girls , she said digital threats can be as dangerous as physical threats if not checked and outlined programs like the Happy Women App initiative to improve digital access and literacy for women.
Ibrahim said the ministry of women affairs is partnering with the ministry of communication to prepare a road map on technology facilitated GBV.
“We recognise that digital inclusion is paramount to national equity and progress. We have joined hands with NITDA to ensure gender priorities are fully captured within the National Gender Digital inclusion Strategy (NGDIS) and have aligned with the Digital Inclusion Plans of the Ministry of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy” .
On her part, the UN Women Country Rep. Ms Beatrice Eyong noted that with the generational gap, emerging threats like online harassment, impersonation, deep fakes and other forms of violence not existing before 1995 are now sources of concern. She said girls face cyber bullying, online grooming among other threats which spill into offline harm and called for all to amplify their voices and stand firmly against Gender Based Violence.
The highlight of the event was the switching on of orange lights for the ministry of women affairs by the Minister flanked by the permanent secretary,representatives from the UNFPA,Core group,NCWS. Rolac, spring, women for women and other partners.
NewsAnnexOnline 