Chima, popularly called Junior, the only son of a family whose father taught him to exercise his authority over everybody, even his mother at home, becomes rude to every woman he sees and always sees them as his subjects.

The story of Chima, as portrayed in Deafening Silence, is a reality in many homes today where the men in the family are trained to see women as second fiddle and grow up to become abusers.

The movie, currently showing in cinemas across the country and beyond, is a result of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative that advocates for gender equality and women empowerment in Nigeria.

The Initiative aligns strongly with the government of Nigeria’s gender priorities as well as the European Union’s and the United Nations’ Gender Action Points. The intervention is on gender equality, women’s empowerment, and combating SGBV and Violence Against Women (VAW).

Produced by the UNDP within the framework of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, it leverages the power of storytelling to explore themes of Gender Equality, Gender Empowerment, and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Nigeria. It also aims to foster deep and honest conversations around these critical issues to incentivize social change.

This transformative initiative is part of a broader gender norm result-chain intervention developed by the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative in Nigeria. This film seeks to raise awareness and inspire action to combat GBV, promoting a society where gender equality and empowerment are fundamental values.

Deafening Silence is in three components: Film: A compelling, impactful, and thought-provoking movie that will spark broader discussions in Nigeria about gender equality, empowerment, sexual and gender-based violence, and violence against women.