The ministry of women affairs has called for faster prosecution of gender-based violence (GBV) cases and strict adherence to standardised response protocols by all security agencies to strengthen justice for survivors in Nigeria.

Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, minister of women affairs, made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at the National Dialogue on Ending GBV, organised in collaboration with the World Bank Group Nigeria.

Mrs Sulaiman-Ibrahim, represented by the permanent secretary, Esuabana Asanye, said improving data and reporting systems, as well as strengthening the National GBV Data Situation Room, would boost accountability and coordinated national action.

She noted that the 2025 edition of the 16 Days of Activism had renewed national attention on the escalating threats faced by women and girls, particularly in digital spaces.

Highlighting alarming global figures, she said more than 830 million women had suffered intimate partner violence, while 250 million had faced sexual violence from non-partners.

She added that one in every three women worldwide would experience violence in her lifetime.

According to her, Nigeria mirrors this reality, with 31 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 having experienced physical violence, and one in four girls surviving sexual abuse before adulthood.

She described those affected girls as “children who never had the chance to grow without fear, carrying physical, emotional and psychological scars into adulthood.”

The minister warned that Nigeria loses trillions of naira annually to GBV, resources she said could have been used to build schools, equip hospitals, and create jobs.

She also noted that digital violence had risen by more than 45 per cent in the last four years, exposing girls to cyberbullying, digital blackmail and online humiliation that often remained permanently online.

Mrs Sulaiman-Ibrahim said the ministry, under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, was adopting a coordinated, evidence-driven response through improved laws, survivor support services and expanded access to justice.

She reported progress in legal reforms, including the domestication of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as near-universal adoption of the Child Rights Act.

She added that survivor assistance was expanding under initiatives such as ProtectHer and the Health Safeguard Programme, which provided medical, legal and psychosocial support in safe and dignified spaces.

The minister emphasised the need to empower traditional rulers, religious leaders and community groups to champion anti-violence campaigns at the grassroots.

She also called for stronger action against technology-facilitated abuse, including stricter penalties for cyberbullying, digital blackmail and online exploitation.

According to her, expanding women-focused financing, supporting women-owned businesses and providing economic reintegration programmes for survivors remain key to long-term protection.

In his remarks, Mathew Verghis, World Bank country director for Nigeria, said GBV remained a binding constraint to the country’s development.

He warned that GBV eroded human capital, weakened productivity, undermined girls’ and women’s education and placed heavy strain on health and justice systems.

Mr Verghis noted that the Bank’s new Gender Strategy (2024–2030) placed ending GBV as a core priority, following global evidence that violence was the most egregious manifestation of gender inequality and a threat to development.

He added that Nigeria was one of 16 fast-track countries implementing an integrated public and private sector approach, including legal reforms, survivor-centred services, community prevention programmes and anti-harassment mechanisms in schools and workplaces.

Also speaking, Michael Ilesanmi, senior social development specialist at the World Bank, said countries lose up to four per cent of their gross domestic product to gender-based violence.

He stressed that economic empowerment, strengthened social norms and the involvement of men and boys were essential to achieving lasting change in Nigeria.

Koessan Kuawu, deputy country representative of the United Nations Population Fund, added that the goal of the dialogue on GBV was to ensure that existing laws were effectively translated into actionable policies.

(NAN)