UN Women Identifies Low Legal Awareness as SGBV Barrier

The United Nations (UN) Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, has identified inadequate public awareness of existing laws protecting women and girls as a major obstacle to ending sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Nigeria and across Africa.

Eyong, who spoke at the commencement of Olubumi Oluba’s 220-hour continuous reading marathon in Abuja, said many women and girls remained unaware of their rights, available legal protections and where to seek help when confronted with violence.

She described Oluba’s Guinness World Record attempt, involving the reading of laws from Nigeria and 14 other African countries, as an important platform for promoting legal literacy and protecting women and girls.

“When we talk about ending sexual and gender-based violence, we often speak about statistics, policies and legislative reforms. But behind every statistic is a human story of a survivor seeking justice, a young girl dreaming of safety, and a community striving for dignity,” she said.

Eyong noted that the gap between existing laws and public knowledge continued to undermine efforts to protect survivors and ensure access to justice.

“For every hour spent reading, someone has an opportunity to learn about their rights, understand what constitutes violence, recognise the importance of consent or discover where survivors can seek assistance. Knowledge is an essential tool for prevention, protection and access to justice,” she noted.

She linked the initiative to Sustainable Development Goals 5, 4 and 16, which promote gender equality, quality education, and peace, justice and strong institutions.
Eyong further called for collective action by government, traditional and religious leaders, civil society, the media, families, men and boys to challenge harmful norms and promote accountability.

“Our ultimate achievement must go beyond breaking a world record. It must be about breaking the silence, changing attitudes and ensuring that every woman and girl can live with dignity, safety and freedom from violence,” she stated.

Also speaking, the Head of the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Response Unit at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Yewande Gbola, said tackling SGBV required sustained public education, effective institutional responses, access to justice and accountability.

She described the 220-hour marathon as a remarkable undertaking, noting that its significance went beyond the ambition of securing a Guinness World Record.

“What makes this initiative particularly significant is not merely the ambition to achieve a Guinness World Record milestone, but the important cause to which Miss Oluba has chosen to dedicate this extraordinary effort: raising awareness and promoting understanding of the laws addressing sexual and gender-based violence,” she said.

Gbola said the Ministry, through its SGBV response units, continued to strengthen survivors’ access to justice, improve institutional responses and coordinate relevant stakeholders.

She commended Oluba for creating a platform for public enlightenment and advocacy through the reading marathon.

For her part, the Founder and President of the Network of Women with Disabilities, Lois Auta, called for greater inclusion of women and girls with disabilities in efforts to combat SGBV.

“I am not standing here today because I love records. I am standing here because I am tired of silence,” she declared.

Auta lamented that women with disabilities who experience sexual violence often encounter barriers to justice, including inaccessible police stations, the absence of sign language interpreters and medical information unavailable in Braille.

“When a woman with a disability is raped, what happens? Too often, nothing. The police station has steps; she cannot climb. The officer does not know sign language. The medical form is not in Braille,” she said.

She urged government to adequately fund and enforce laws protecting women and persons with disabilities, particularly the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act.

“To our government, domesticate, fund and enforce. Do not let the VAPP Act gather dust. Do not let disability rights be an afterthought,” she said.

Auta also called for accessible police stations, hospitals and courts, as well as Braille materials and sign language interpretation, stressing the need to involve women with disabilities in decisions affecting them.

The 220-hour reading marathon seeks to promote awareness of legal frameworks addressing SGBV across 15 African countries and strengthen public understanding of survivors’ rights and available protections.

The speakers expressed hope that the initiative would go beyond a Guinness World Record achievement to inspire greater awareness, accountability and action towards ending violence against women and girls.