The Association for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Nigeria has called on governments at all levels and other stakeholders to work hard to end gender based violence in the country.

The group made call as at media briefing in Abuja, weekend, as part of activities to mark the 16 days of activism against gender based violence.

Speaking, the National Coordinator of the group, Marcus William, lamented that despite the efforts of the federal government through its agencies, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and other development partners to end the ugly practice of gender based violence, hug gap still exists.

“It is estimated that one in three women experience either physical or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.

“In times of crises, the numbers rise, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent humanitarian crises, conflicts and climate disasters.

“These figures are mirrored in Nigeria, with 30 per cent of girls and women aged between 15 and 49 reported to have experienced sexual abuse. Insurgency and protracted conflict have only served to exacerbate the occurrence of GBV in the North East,” he said.

He, therefore, called for the strengthening of  access to justice; enhance data collection and increased investment in service providers.

“The rise in GBV reveals the critical role that GBV and sexual and reproductive health service providers play in ensuring the health, well-being and protection of some of the most vulnerable members of society,” he noted.

The Coordinator further called for the amplifying of the role of women leaders and women-led organizations, insisting that there is need to scale up community education with GBV awareness and ensure that women’s networks play key roles in community awareness and sensitization.

According to him, leveraging these networks and platforms will also serve to amplify women’s voices and strengthen women’s leadership on eliminating violence against women and girls.

The group also called for advocacy for implementation of frameworks and passage of key legislation, appealing on stakeholders to advocate for the adoption and implementation of national and state strategic frameworks on GBV and on the domestication of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act across all states.

While also calling for the community education and engagement and livelihood opportunity for survivors of GBV, the Association for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Nigeria, however, assured that it “will continue to mobilize and build the capacity of member CSOs to address the critical gaps listed above from the grass root communities to the states and to National.

“We will collaborate with stakeholders and government to ensure that the statistics of GBV is drastically reduced.”