Ford Foundation Renews Commitment to Fight against GBV

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The Ford Foundation yesterday renewed its commitment towards supporting the ongoing fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Nigeria.

The commitment was made by the visiting Vice President, International Programmes, Ford Foundation, Martin Abregu, at a roundtable organised by UN Women at UN House Abuja with stakeholders.

Abregu said having listened to all the contributions of the stakeholders in the battle to end GBV in the country, the Ford Foundation was ready to collaborate and ensure its success.

He noted that fight against gender based violence and discrimination were topmost on the agenda of Ford Foundation.

At the roundtable discussions titled: “Diverse Approaches to Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Prevention in Nigeria”, were representatives of other global organisations, the federal government as well as traditional and religious leaders.

The Country Representative of UN Women, Ms. Beatrice Eyong, on her part, said the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) in Nigeria, like many other parts of the world, remains a pervasive issue that undermines the fundamental rights and dignity of women and girls, impeding progress towards gender equality and sustainable development.

She noted: “Globally, an estimated 736 million women—almost one in three—have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life.

“Now, 33 per cent Nigerian women have experienced physical violence by the age of 15. Similarly, data from the Mirabel Centre in Lagos show that 81 per cent of reported cases of sexual assault between 2013 and 2019 were perpetrated against children – 67 per cent of the perpetrators were known.

“In Nigeria, these staggering statistics have worsened because of the security challenges arising from armed conflict, insurgency, banditry, and kidnappings across the country.

“ Additionally, the economic downturns arising from the recent devaluation of the local currency, high inflation, and the slow recovery from global economic shocks from COVID-19 have also exacerbated the prevalence of GBV.”

Yet, amidst these challenges, she stated that there is hope in the transformative power of collaboration, innovation, and solidarity.

The roundtable, she said, provides a platform to share best practices and lessons learned from the joint EU-UN Spotlight Initiative and other successful interventions in Nigeria and globally, fostering cross-learning and innovation.