The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Tony Ojukwu, has called for urgent regional action to combat gender-based violence, warning that millions of women and girls across Nigeria and West Africa continue to suffer abuse in silence.
Ojukwu made the call on Monday while delivering a keynote address at the International Women’s Day event organised by the Women’s Forum of the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja.
Speaking on the theme, “Rights. Justice. Action. For All Women and Girls,” he stressed that breaking the silence surrounding gender-based violence is critical to achieving justice and equality for women.
According to him, gender-based violence remains one of the most widespread human rights violations globally, depriving women and girls of dignity, safety and opportunities.
“Silence has too often been the accomplice of violence. Too many women suffer in silence because they fear stigma, retaliation or disbelief. Today we must declare with one voice that silence is no longer an option,” Ojukwu said.
The NHRC boss, who was represented by the Commission’s Director of the Women and Children Department, Mrs. Ngozi Okorie, described the scale of abuse as alarming.
He noted that Nigeria alone accounts for about 10 per cent of global survivors of gender-based violence, with an estimated 20 million women affected.
Citing data from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2018, Ojukwu added that nearly one in three Nigerian women between the ages of 15 and 49 has experienced physical or sexual violence at some point in her life.
He also disclosed that the National Human Rights Commission received 3,724,822 complaints of human rights violations in 2025, describing the figure as both alarming and indicative of the widespread nature of rights abuses in the country.
According to him, the complaints ranged from gender-based violence and child rights violations to abuses involving other vulnerable groups.
He explained that the figures were compiled from the Commission’s 36 state offices and the Abuja Metropolitan Office, reflecting growing public awareness of the Commission’s mandate and increased willingness by victims to report violations.
“In Kano State alone, the Commission recorded 3,019 complaints between January and December 2025. Out of these, 2,276 were resolved while 743 cases remain under investigation,” he said.
Ojukwu further revealed that the Commission’s Human Rights Monitoring Dashboard recorded 670 cases of child abandonment in December 2025 alone, warning that the trend underscores the broader social consequences of discrimination and violence against women and girls.
He described the choice of the ECOWAS Court of Justice as venue for the event as symbolic, noting that the regional court has become an important platform for human rights enforcement in West Africa.
Ojukwu recalled landmark rulings of the court, including the case of Dorothy Njemanze v. Nigeria, in which the court found Nigeria guilty of discriminatory policing and gender-based violence against women.
According to him, the judgment reinforced the court’s role in ensuring accountability and protecting women’s rights across the region.
“The ECOWAS Court has proven that justice can reach even the most vulnerable woman in a remote village. When this court says ‘break the silence,’ it speaks with the authority of an institution that listens to the cry of the common woman,” he said.
He disclosed that the Commission has introduced several initiatives to combat gender-based violence, including the launch of a Human Rights Dashboard for tracking violations and the introduction of a national short code, 6472, to enable victims report abuses more easily.
Ojukwu added that the NHRC is also expanding access to justice through technology, nationwide public awareness campaigns and stronger collaboration with civil society organisations and the media.
He noted that the Commission has also endorsed the Male Feminists Network, a civil society initiative aimed at mobilising men and boys to challenge harmful cultural norms that enable violence against women.
According to him, addressing gender-based violence requires coordinated action by governments, the judiciary, civil society groups, the media and traditional institutions.
He therefore called on ECOWAS member states to harmonise and strengthen laws against gender-based violence while ensuring effective enforcement of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act and other legal frameworks protecting women.
The NHRC chief also urged the judiciary to establish specialised courts for gender-based violence, fast-track cases involving abuse against women and children and adopt survivor-centred approaches in the administration of justice.
He further appealed to the media to play a stronger role in exposing abuses and amplifying the voices of survivors while reporting such cases with sensitivity and respect for victims.
“Ending gender-based violence requires more than sympathy. It demands justice. Perpetrators must be held accountable and survivors must have access to remedies that restore dignity and hope,” he said.
Ojukwu urged governments and stakeholders across West Africa to move beyond rhetoric and commit to concrete actions that guarantee safety, dignity and equal rights for every woman and girl.
In her remarks, President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice Women’s Forum, Oluwatosin Nguher, also emphasised the need for collective action against gender-based violence.
She described the issue as one of the most pervasive human rights challenges of the present time.
“It undermines dignity, weakens institutions, disrupts communities and directly affects access to justice,” she said.
Nguher added that as a judicial institution serving the ECOWAS region, the court cannot remain indifferent to the impact of gender-based violence.
“Silence perpetuates harm; action restores hope. Our activities are designed to promote informed dialogue, strengthen preventive strategies and reaffirm the Court’s commitment to protecting the rights of women and girls,” she said.
She expressed optimism that through unity, awareness and deliberate action, stakeholders across the ECOWAS region can ensure that rights are protected, justice is accessible and opportunities are equitable for all women and girls.
