The United States Chargé d’Affaires, David Greene, has lauded local organisations tackling sexual and gender-based violence in Nigeria, pledging continued American assistance towards protecting vulnerable women and girls.

He made this known in Lagos, at the weekend, during the ‘No Tolerance March’ hosted by the Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF), a prominent non-profit organisation combating gender-based violence in Nigeria.
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The march was part of a yearly campaign to commemorate the UN 16 Days of Activism held in 10 cities across three continents. Greene first applauded the organisers for offering free and comprehensive support services to abused survivors, highlighting the alarming statistic that one in three women encounter sexual violence before turning 18.

“I want to thank the founder of WARIF, Dr. Kemi Dasilva-Ibru and her team for putting together the event. They are doing fantastic work at their centre in Yaba,” he noted.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented at the event by the state’s Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogunlende, emphasised on collective responsibility to change the statistics of rape and sexual violence into stories of resilience and change, as well as pave the way for a future where every girl and woman can live in a society free of rape and other forms of gender-based violence.

DaSilva-Ibru, who spoke on the importance of the march, said: “This march was held in 10 cities across three continents as we recognise the pervasive impact of gender-based violence globally. It is important to raise awareness not only in our various communities in silos but as one collective force across the world. This is what we are attempting to do. We look forward to including more cities in the years to come.”
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