Survivors of abuse, activists, and human-rights defenders have said eradicating corruption will reduce the menace of all forms of Gender-based violence (GBV). They said that with the corruption that continue to silence survivors and protect offenders across Nigeria, it will be difficult to achieve justice.
This was the focus at a workshop hosted by the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) in Lagos.
The workshop brought together women with disabilities, sex workers, rape survivors, lawyers, and civil-society leaders. These participants shared their experiences, while calling for justice, and mapped out paths toward meaningful change.
Founding Director, WARDC, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, addressing phenomenal mentees, mentors, friends, and distinguished guests stating that this was not just a meeting but a collective call to action and the program was held to remind the world that silence in the face of injustice is complicity.
Keynote speaker Abraham Obutu, Director of the Diamond Women Initiative, also spoke to the damaging impact of corruption on justice. “When corruption thrives, justice is delayed or denied. Survivors are silenced, and perpetrators walk free. This workshop is not just about sharing knowledge, it is about taking action and ensuring accountability. Obutu singled out those who so often go unheard, the transgender women, sex workers, and women with disabilities and recounted the story of a sex worker who was beaten and threatened with death if she reported the abuse.
“They don’t believe that we have the right to exist or to live in peace. But we do. We must stand for our rights, let our voices be heard, and not allow anybody to silence us. She also spoke about the unfair treatment faced by people with disabilities, noting that people look at them as if they are not capable of doing what they do, or of teaching others. But they forget that everybody has their own part to play in this situation.
A strategic stakeholder in the WARDC community, Patience Ogolo, stressed the urgent need for accountability and praised survivors for their strength: “We cannot continue to live in a country where survivors are ignored and justice is denied. Every act of abuse must be addressed, and every voice must be heard. We owe it to ourselves and the next generation to end this impunity.”
Concluding the workshop, Deputy Director, WARDC, Mary George offered a call to collective responsibility stating, “It is our responsibility to build voices together, to be the voice of the voiceless, and to recommend solutions. Injustice to one is injustice to all. If you feel this is not your business now, one day it will come back to you.”
