Violence against women and girls remains one of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world.
According to the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (2018), 30 percent of girls and women between the ages of 15 and 49 reported being subjected to sexual abuse.
In 2020 alone, the Lagos State Domestic and Gender Violence Response Team reported a total of 3,193 cases of gender-based violence. This heartbreaking statistic of gender based violence is similar across the rest of the country.
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that runs from 25th of November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women to the 10th of December, Human Rights Day.
This campaign was started by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991 and continues to be coordinated each year by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership.
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence presents a time and opportunity for individuals and organisations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.
This year’s campaign is themed: UNITE! Activism to End Violence against Women & Girls.
Women Impacting Nigeria (WIN) is committed to eliminating violence against women and girls in Nigeria. From holding self-defense classes to providing legal aids to victims, WIN continues to work towards a gender equitable Nigeria.
WIN aims to promote gender equality within the sustainable development goals. We do this by focusing our activities on strategic areas which directly impact women and girls in the country.
Due to the multi-faceted nature of violence against women and girls, WIN is focusing on preventing and combating gender-based violence through it many initiatives.
In adherence to SDG 5 of Gender Equality, Women Impacting Nigeria continues to work and partner with other organizations to eliminate violence against women and girls in Nigeria.
WIN has empowered over 1,000 vulnerable women and held Self Defense Workshops for women in Nigeria to enlighten them and equip them with skills to help them in crisis situations.
As Gender-based violence occurs in a wide variety of forms in all societies in Nigeria and among different age groups and social classes, WIN promotes initiatives that protect Nigerian girls and women from violence, sexual exploitation, harassment and sexual abuse.
Through its community based interventions, WIN sees to it that harmful social norms and traditions are combated and corrected at the grassroots level. WIN initiatives also reaches both the educated and illiterate women in rural marginalized communities in Nigeria.
WIN also provides female victims of violence with psychosocial and legal support and aims to strengthen the social position of women in the long term.
Over the years, Women Impacting Nigeria has worked to empower women economically and to lend weight to their right to physical integrity. WIN also provides free legal aid to victims, free therapy and 24-hour access to psychologists.
Through it Women Empowerment Program, MSME Program and The Accelerator Program, WIN has been able to empower a lot of women in Nigeria by giving them grants and support for their businesses and empowering them with digital skills and employment opportunities, with the aim to reduce the gender gap and eliminate violence against the female gender in Nigerian communities.
Women Impacting Nigeria will continue to work to combat gender-based violence in all its forms, because the rights of women and girls are human rights. Our efforts to take a clear stand against violence against women and girls is made possible by donors, volunteers and pattners.
Women Impacting Nigeria welcomes support and partnership opportunities with other organizations to combact the menace of violence against women and girls.
Together, we can create a society where every woman and girl child is safe, secured and celebrated.