Gender-based violence kills one woman every 10 minutes, says FG, UNODC

United Nations Office on drugs and Crimes (UNODC) and the Federal Government have said one woman is killed every 10 minutes as a result of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).

They also called for a united front to combat the menace of SGBV.

UNODC Country Representative, Cheikh Toure, said statistics on SGBV reflects the urgency and the need for collective action to clamp down on what he described as an ‘epidemic that knows no border, shattering families and devastating communities’.

He stated this at an event flagging off 16 Days of Activism Against SGBV, themed: ‘Unite to End Violence Against Women’, organised in partnership with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Citizenship and the MacArthur Foundation, yesterday, in Abuja.

He said: “Every 10 minutes, a woman is killed, let that sink in. This staggering statistics is not just a number; it represents lives lost, families shattered and communities devastated.”

Toure noted that violence against women and girls was the most pervasive human rights violation globally with nearly one in three women and girls experiencing violence in their lifetime.

“This is not merely statistics; it is a reality for countless individuals, our mothers, sisters, daughters, and friends. The urgency of our mission cannot be overstated. We stand at a critical juncture where our collective efforts can lead to meaningful change.

“89,000 women and girls intentionally killed in 2022, the highest in two decades, over one million crimes related to violence against women and girls were recorded in 2022 and 2023, accounting for 20 per cent of all police-recorded crime,” he said.

He lamented that with at least one in 12 women became victims each year, the true number likely much higher because most African countries lack data on femicide and without data, “we’re fighting blindly.”

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Citizenship and Leadership, Rinsola Abiola, said the 16 Days of Activism Against SGBV as a global campaign aimed at drawing attention and seeking solutions to the pervasive challenge of gender-based violence and the many factors that enable and underpin it.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu understands the role that women play all too well, and it is why we have women occupying key executive and advisory positions in the Renewed Hope administration contributing their quota to national growth and advancement.

“I would thus like to urge other leaders similarly empowered and at different levels of the political structure, within government and the political party system, to prioritise women’s participation and qualitative representation in power and decision-making, both through the ballot and via appointive positions,” she said.

Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, stressed the importance of joint effort at all levels to succeed in the fight against SGBV.

Represented by the National President of the National Youth Council (NYC), Dotun Omoleye, he said: “SGBV is a menace that must be fought by every progressive thinker but this cannot be fought with the right legislation, and a well structured Judiciary.