In Nigeria, the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic and some other factors such as patriarchy, traditional beliefs that see women as mere appendages of men and the unfavorable economic situation of the country have resulted in an alarming increase in violence against women and girls. This is also buttressed by the rate of heartbreaking stories of GBV that has become a pandemic in itself both in the home, workplace, IDP camps and within sex workers. In Northern Nigeria women and girls face various forms of domestic violence and abuse and conflict-related violence in areas ravaged by communal conflicts, banditry and insurgency. According to the National Gender-Based Violence dashboard 513 Gender-based violence incidents were reported in the Federal Capital Territory, within the period of January 2022.
Since 2019, CWEENS FCT has been working to curb the menace particularly intimate partner violence (IPV) in Tudun Wada Community and in the FCT generally, with established shelter home called Kamkpe House (meaning well-being Home) for survivors of violence. Over the years, CWEENS FCT has handled over 87 cases of sexual and Gender-based Violence ranging from rape, child abuse, and intimate partner violence, harmful widowhood practices, child marriage amongst others. Violence against women and girls causes psychological, sexual and Reproductive Health harms to women at all stages of their life. They also battled through restricted access to higher education, poverty and limited opportunities for women in the labour market.
CWEENS FCT adopts a preventive and remedial approach to reducing SGBV. The preventive measures include- Strategic partnerships, community engagement, sensitization and advocacy to prevent GBV. The community sensitization was aimed at creating awareness among locals and their gate keepers on issues of SGBV. Several communities in the FCT were properly sensitized on case reporting, and referral pathways. Due to the awareness on SGBV in Tudun Wada Community, Blessing Nuhu, a 36 years old survivor of domestic violence with two children got in touched with CWEENS FCT in 2021. This was as a fallout from the advocacy visit and awareness creation on GBV prevention to the Community leader of Tudun Wada of Lugbe, FCT.
Blessing said she suffered physical violence, socioeconomic violence and emotional violence. The emotional violence was at its peak when her two children of 6 and 1 year old were whisked away to an unknown destination by her husband a perpetrator of domestic violence. Neighbors told her when she found out that her children has been whisked away, that her husband said “he is running away with the children and he would do whatever he likes with them, that he may even sell them”. This news got her confused and she ran to the CWEENS office. Proactive actions were taken, first to report the incidence to the Police FCT command and secondly to raise a prayer chain for the safety of the children, that God will restrain him from selling them. After few days, it was discovered that the children were taken to Cross River state where he hailed from. With the support of CWEENS, Blessing travelled to Calabar the capital City of Cross River with a family member and with the backing of the Police of the FCT Command. The Calabar Command was informed to help in following her to recover her children.
Blessing’s two sons were recovered for her and brought back to Abuja. She is a happy mother today, taking care of her two children without further harassment by the so called husband who has been restrained by the police. Blessing received psychosocial support services and empowerment support from CWEENS on the WVL project funded by Global Affairs Canada through ActionAid Nigeria. She was supported with a sewing machine to run her tailoring business, a skill she acquired while working as a cleaner at a bank within the community she lives. The bank terminated their contract with the cleaning company under which she worked due to the demise of the lead of the cleaning company.
This did not leave Blessing stranded, as she switched over to sewing of clothing materials and also engaged in home cleaning services. Additionally, she recently got trained through the support of CWEENS in household cleaning products production. She makes and sells liquid soap which have made her resourceful and now she joyfully takes care of her two children, pay their school fees and pay for her rent. She is economically empowered, making positive change in her community, a GBV champion in the community where she lives.
