As dangerous as Nigeria is for children, many of whom have to navigate complex and disheartening realities of being a Nigerian such as being out of school, facing the dangers of conflict, abuse and hunger, women and girls are even having it worse.
In a country which insists on patriarchy even when it has absolutely nothing to show for it, women have and continue to be treated as expendable fodder.
Between January 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024, according to the 2024 DOHS Cares Foundation femicide reports, 133 women and girls perished st the hands of gender-based violence in 2024 alone. In a country where there is a historical paucity of data expect that figure to be much higher.
The grim reality is that women and girls continue to be victims in a society where they should be partners, builders and crucially, peacemakers.
In a country riven by poverty and insecurity, it is telling that women who are like canaries in the coal mine for serious societal issues, and who may just hold the key to long-term solutions to the problem, have been sucked into it more than any other demographic.
The question of violence against women in Nigeria, fatal in many instances, has been burning for as long as anyone can remember. That nothing has been done about it is testament to the dizzying depth of the problem and the reluctance of the society to confront what is a staggering problem.
But what does violence against women really look like? For starters, it is physical abuse manifest in acts that violate the body. This is especially rife in homes that have long gone sour, with many women having been turned into punching bags in their homes.
It is sexual abuse with rape being the most serious of it. Women face sexual abuse all day long, all the days of their life. Discrimination because of sex, for granting or withholding sex, really compounds the problem.
It is emotional abuse. Again, marriages many of which have become suffocating cages account for these systematic and systemic marital abuse with many women finding it impossible to escape because of stigma and economic considerations.
There is no saying that women need protection. This protection can only be guaranteed by law. Nigeria has the Violence Against Persons Act, which criminalizes any manner of violence against women. But more than having these laws lying around is the need to critically highlight that they have no teeth. Despite the presence of these laws, women continue to be abused. This simply cannot be allowed to continue.
A crucial mistake stakeholders continue to make in the protection of women is to always dismiss instances of serious abuse as family affairs. This practice has never helped anyone and must clearly stop if Nigeria is to make genuine progress in the protection of women.
That women should be free from violence of any kind is key to gender equality, which is underpinned by the need to promote equality and prevent discrimination of any kind.
Nigeria would be better for it, but certainly cannot do it with so many women dying every year simply because they are women.
Kene Obiezu,
