ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) has urged the federal government to enact and enforce laws to aid the prevention of all forms of gender-based violence (GBV) in the country.

The organisation’s Country Director, Ene Obi, made the call during an event organised in Abuja to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

In line with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign runs from 25 November to 10 December.

Development Diaries understands that the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign runs every year from 25 November to 10 December, Human Rights Day.

From forced and early marriages to the physical, mental or sexual assault on a woman, nearly three in ten Nigerian women have experienced physical violence by age 15, according to the Nigeria Democratic Health Survey (NDHS).

In her statement, Obi stressed the importance of tackling proving equal work opportunities and compensation for women to address the growing cases of gender-based violence and inequality.

‘As we mark the 2020 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we need to recognise that Nigerian women are still over-represented in low paid, insecure jobs with little or no access to social protection and rights at work’, she said.

‘This leaves them vulnerable to patriarchal norms of violence – a manifestation of patriarchal norms, the undervaluing of women’s work, and the attacks on labour standards’.

Obi argued that female workers are more targeted for violence and harassment at work because of a combination of different factors such as conditions of work, type of work, employment in the informal sector, precarious, short-term work, and low bargaining power.

‘ActionAid Nigeria urges the federal government of Nigeria to strengthen legal protection against gender-based violence at work by adopting, enacting, and enforcing national laws and regulations that will ensure universal access to gender-responsive, appropriate, and effective complaint system, safe and confidential reporting, and transparent justice mechanisms for victims of gender-based violence and harassment at work, including informal work.

‘We also implore all formal and informal employers of labour to prioritise the protection and promotion of the rights of their workers, especially female workers’.

Source: ActionAid Nigeria

Photo source: ActionAid Nigeria