Report shows a woman is sexually violated or killed, figures collated with increased reporting
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A woman is sexually violated or killed in Nigeria every 10 minutes, a report by Salama Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) has shown.
The study found that between 2019 and 2025, about 4,426 women, girls, and children across eight councils of Kaduna experienced one form of gender-based violence (GBV) or another.
SARC Manager for Kafanchan Zone, Grace Abim, disclosed the figures at a capacity-building session for the group in Abuja, organised by Global Rights Nigeria.
She recounted that two GBV cases were recorded in 2019 but with greater awareness, as of January 2025, the number rose to 4,426 incidents (3,600 involving mostly women) in the zone, which covers eight councils.
According to Abim, Nigeria has a long way to go in ending GBV, even though people are beginning to speak up especially in states with Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Centres, unlike before when victims were dying in silence because there was nowhere to report abuses.
She lamented the slow pace of getting justice for victims in the country, citing social, religious, and cultural challenges as barriers to justice dispensation.
She stressed that it is important that the offender gets punished according to law because “GBV has no respect for ages, culture, religion, tribe, profession, anyone can be a victim. However, most of the cases recorded were women and children.”
Funding is critical in addressing the menace, Abim added, but said the government cannot do it alone, hence the need for the support of private individuals.
In her view, although the Kaduna government has provided the centre with resources, the increasing number of cases requires more funding from Nigerians.
Noya Sedi, Global Rights Programme Officer for Women and Gender, explained that the workshop aimed to promote effective community referral pathways for addressing sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in the North West and to emphasise the critical role of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) in properly handling SGBV cases.
She said they intended to bridge the gap between informal community-based responses and formal support systems, integrating community dialogue committees with established structures to improve referral pathways and response mechanisms to GBV.
The training also underlined the importance of community involvement, as local members often serve as the first point of contact for survivors. The project stresses continued community-driven dialogue to enhance safety and awareness for all.
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