Edo, Niger, Adamawa states at top in highest gender-based violence: Report

Edo, Niger, and the Adamawa States are the highest gender-based violence, says ActionAid Nigeria, an international organization, according to a report by Today Ng.

The organization reportedly revealed that gender-based violence particularly riddles around women and girls, which has worsened in the times of COVID-19. Ene Obi, the country director of ActionAid Nigeria disclosed the data earlier on Tuesday, to commemorate Women-led Integrated Protection Action Against Based Violence (Wipes-GBV), a 16-day activism project in Abuja.

"The pandemic brought with it a substantial rise in reported cases of gender-based violence with a monthly increase of 149% in 23 States including the northeast. It is for this reason that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) provided funding to ActionAid Nigeria for the implementation of interventions to project the rights of women and girls from GBV exacerbated by conflicts and COVID-19 in Edo, Niger and Adamawa States in Nigeria. These states were selected based on their high records of Gender-Based Violence and insecurity", it read.

Obi said that AAN will work to provide critical steps for those suffering violations, as she quoted, "AAN will be working with women's rights organizations and the National Human Rights Commission in these project states to provide critical protection intervention to women and girls who suffer violations".

"Our experience and learning from implementing programmes on women's rights in Nigeria has shown us that women's rights organizations are pivotal in achieving gender equality and providing resources to them as well as other state-actors remain pivotal in responding to GBV. In view of this recognition, the WIPe-GBV Project has chosen to work with women's rights organization in 3 states to provide the needed critical protection interventions for women and girls. Through the provision of grants and targeted trainings, the organizations will be enabled to implement survivor-centered protection services to vulnerable some and girls while collaborating with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), to facilitate access to justice for survivors of violence", she added.