The federation said this according to a release by Mrs Amina Suzanah Agbaje, the National President, FIDA Nigeria, in celebration of The 16 Days’ of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) has stated that the incessant terrorist attacks across Nigeria also contributed to the increment of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) cases in the country.
The federation said this according to a release by Mrs Amina Suzanah Agbaje, the National President, FIDA Nigeria, in celebration of The 16 Days’ of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
The event is held annually from the 25th of November to the 10th of December (Human Rights’ Day), to drive awareness of the ills of violence in our communities and nations while seeking an end to all forms of violence.
Agbaje noted that cases of gender-based violence had risen exponentially, partly due to continuous terrorism activities as well as “repeated economic disadvantage of the female gender.”
She said, "Gender-Based Violence is also one of the most pronounced declarations of the unequal power play between the male and female gender, caused by some factors including Cultural (patriarchal views, gender stereotypes, societal expectations of masculinity and femininity, socialisation of gender, general acceptance of violence as an acceptable means to resolve conflict); Economic factors such as lack of economic resources making women more vulnerable to violence; Political factors including under representation of women in power and politics resulting in fewer opportunities to shape decisions that affect policies and equality, and adoption of measures to combat gender-based violence.
"This scourge has become a global pandemic which if left unchecked has the potential to send entire societies into ruination due to its life-threatening component. Before the emergence of Covid-19, the issue of gender-based violence had steadily been on the increase, however, with the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, this epidemic has aggressively accelerated and statistics now show that one out of every three women has experienced this scourge in their lifetime. This illustrates that it has indeed reached pandemic proportions.
"Bringing it closer home to Nigeria specifically, the cases of gender-based violence have risen exponentially, partly due to continuous terrorism activities, sustained patriarchal outlook of the society, repeated economic disadvantage of the female gender and the seemingly discrimination with respect to female participation in political spaces, resulting recently in a protest spearheaded by FIDA and other notable civil society organisations against the rejection of gender-sensitive Bills by the Nigerian National Assembly."