NHRC INTENSIFIES CAMPAIGN AGAINST GENDER BASED VIOLENCE IN ANAMBRA

REPORTER: ALFRED AJAYI

The National Human Rights Commission, (NHRC) says 70% of cases reported to its office in Anambra State bother on domestic abuse.

The Coordinator of the commission in the state, Mr. Obinna Maduforo, made this known during a road show to mark the commencement of the 2022 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence (GBV).

Speaking on the theme “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls,” Mr. Maduforo said the event was designed to draw global attention to the plights of the female folks, who were often targets of violence.

“The female gender – women and girls are passing through a lot of stigmatization, exploitation and abuse.

“Men abuse wives, female minors being abused. The oga is raping and the madam is beating her mercilessly.

“The oga impregnate her and the pregnancy is aborted and the family will cover the whole thing.

“We hear of orphans being abused, maltreated. You hear of harmful widowhood practices, where a woman will loose her husband and all the inlaws gang up against her, seize everything that should naturally accrue to the children.

“What about Female Genital Mutilation. You hear of children as young as six, seven years being defiled sexually. These are all gender based violence,” the state NHRC Coordinator said.

Mr. Maduforo expressed regret that most of the abuses go unreported while the trial and prosecution of the ones reported were often stalled by the victims’ families.

“What is reported is negligible compared to the reality across our communities. So, our coming out is to encourage people to report such cases to our office.

“We encourage Nigerians, speak out. We are here to defend people’s rights, particularly the vulnerable, a category in which women, girls and children fall,” Mr. Maduforo explained.

According to him, the frequency at which gender based violence is perpetrated in the Nigerian society calls for a sustained sensitization and awareness campaign, which only National Human Rights Commission cannot handle.

This, he noted called for partnership with other government and non-governmental organizations to achieve appreciable results.

EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU