***9000 cases opened againat offenders, 8000 cases pending in courts
As the sixteen days of Activism against sexual and gender based violence rounded off across the country, not less than 28,000 cases of Gender Based Violence (GBV) have been reported nationwide since the launch of the National Data GBV situation Room and Dashboard in 2020.
The senator representing The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Ireti Kingibe made the disclosure on Saturday night at the Intercontinental Hotel, Abuja during a Gender Activism Interactive session.
Explaining further, she said in the reported cases, over 9000 cases have been opened against offenders, while over 8000 cases are still pending in various courts as over 1800 cases have been withdrawn either by the courts, community intervention, family and victims that have become afraid or intimidated to withdraw the cases.
“The number of – convictions are 455, and sadly, the number of fatalities from GBV are over 1250.”
Kingibe said, she has floated an initiative as chairperson of the senate Committee on women Affairs to tackle the menace in communities.
The Senator unveiled the project christened the Orange Nigeria initiative at the Beeta Arts Festival in Abuja which was organised in conjunction with the United States Embassy to show films on sexual and gender based violence alongside panel discussions.
She said the program is a flagship initiative of the senate committee on Women affairs which she leads adding that it is aimed at raising volunteers to tackle SGBVs across Nigeria.
According to her it is targeted at activating a national call to action for multi-industry, multi stakeholders collaboration and commitment to accelerate the Elimination of Genda Based Violence across communities in Nigeria.
“Orange Nigeria seeks to empower individuals to stand against violence by fostering open conversations in collaboration with the national GBV(Gender Based Violence) Data Situation Room and Dashboard launched in November 2020 by the Federal Government and the UNDP EU-UN.
“The Orange Nigeria mandate is anchored, on #9 strategic Orange4ward-Constituency development programs that empower Nigerians ucross 8,000 wards to take a stand against Sexual ond Gender based Violence in Nigeria
She explained that the
16 days is supposed to be for advocacy and activism.
“I also feel that each year people are made more aware than the previous years.
“One of the things that I am going to be doing, by middle of January latest, I am going to call for volunteers in the wards.
“They will be orange marshals who will actually monitor sexual and gender based violence in their respective wards and they can report it.
“Until we go that way, we can not make much impact.
On the bills she is proposing to ensure is Consolidated upon she said, “There are laws already. There is the VAPP which is already there, it is the enforcement that is the problem.
“As a legislator I am trying to get some of those gender bills that were rejected to ensure that they get back this time because I think this particular Senate, a lot of the senators seems to be more gender aware, you know there are almost 80 new senators.
“So I am hoping that those bills will pass but there are laws already that prevent violence against women
On the fact that some men suffer sexual harassment silently she said when they speak out like the women are speaking out she will speak for them.
“violence is violence regardless of who is the victim. The men have as much right to protection as women do.”
The founder of Beeta Arts Festival, Bikiya Douglas Graham said the Beta Art Festival is its third year and the idea behind it is to tell stories from Africa
“Sexual Gender Based Violence are stories of Africa. The soft power of creativity cannot be undermined when you are able to capture sexual based violence in a film, you are able to connect with people’s minds and that is why we wanted to have the screening here, 16 days of activism, I am a woman and I stand strongly against Gender Based Violence.
“So there was this beautiful opportunity for us to connect story telling with GBV during 16 days of activism.
“The Orange Initiative Nigeria, one of their mandates is to have more story telling and the art community highlight issues of GBV and so this is the beginning of a very long relationship where we can take these stories of women of actual people and we can showcase it and we hope that it can shape the minds of people for all of us to stand against GBV in our society.
“Never stay silent that is what I will say, Speak up, Speak up.”