SEXUAL and gender-based violence survivors in Nigeria continue to face overwhelming barriers to justice, healthcare, shelter and rehabilitation, according to rights advocate and founder of the Dorothy Njemanze Foundation (DNF), Dorothy Njemanze.

Speaking on violence against women and children in Nigeria in an exclusive interview with The ICIR, Njemanze, a survivor of sexual violence and intimate partner abuse, frowned at a system where survivors are often abandoned, perpetrators evade accountability, and non-governmental organisations struggle to fill gaps left by public institutions.

She said DNF, a survivor-led organisation based in Abuja, handles an average of three cases of sexual and gender-based violence daily, with at least 40 active cases monthly.

“Our services are subject to the availability of resources, but human lives are directly linked to those resources. Every human life that is lost because support was unavailable is a dent on our economy and our humanity. The foundation provides free medical referrals, legal support, shelter, psychosocial assistance and educational support for survivors across Nigeria,” she said.

Njemanze revealed that sustaining support services has become increasingly difficult due to funding shortages, noting that feeding approximately 35 survivors and vulnerable persons daily costs millions of naira annually, excluding expenses for healthcare, shelter, education, transportation and legal interventions.

The activist is widely known for a landmark legal victory against the Nigerian government at the ECOWAS Court of Justice in 2017, where the court ruled in Njemanze and three others versus Federal Republic of Nigeria, finding that Nigerian authorities violated the rights of women who were unlawfully arrested, assaulted and stigmatised as sex workers during raids in Abuja. The ruling marked one of the first major regional court decisions recognising gender-based violence under the Maputo Protocol.

Njemanze said the majority of DNF’s staff and board members are survivors of violence, giving them firsthand understanding of the challenges victims face. DNF supports survivors through shelter facilities, educational sponsorships, vocational training and community referrals. However, Njemanze said demand outpaced available resources.

“We render free confidential services around the clock to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence,” she said.

She recounted several cases handled by the foundation, including a three-year-old girl who suffered severe sexual abuse allegedly perpetrated by her father. The child was taken for medical examination after complaining of pain and was found to have injuries consistent with sexual assault.

She lamented that despite reporting such cases to authorities, prosecutions often stall for years. The activist recalled another case involving a girl who became pregnant at age 11 and delivered a baby shortly after turning 12.

“The alleged perpetrator, a man in his 30s, was arrested following intervention by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) but was later granted bail,” she said.

Njemanze expressed concern over what she described as prolonged delays in prosecuting the case despite repeated petitions, as she criticised the high cost of seeking justice, arguing that survivors are often required to shoulder medical expenses, transportation costs and legal fees before their cases can proceed.

“If a two-year-old child is raped, that child is expected to bear the full cost of medical and legal processes if justice is to be pursued. How much does a two-year-old earn?” she queried.

She further alleged that survivors frequently encounter pressure to settle cases outside formal judicial channels due to the financial burden associated with prosecution, noting that many survivors are forced back into environments where abuse occurred.

While acknowledging progress in public awareness and policy conversations around gender-based violence, Njemanze argued that government responses were inadequate compared to the scale of the crisis, as she pointed to budgetary priorities as evidence showing limited investment in justice-related interventions for survivors.

“The progress is not commensurate with what is needed in Nigeria considering our population, resources and potential,” she said.

She also renewed support for the Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill and called for stronger safeguards for children.

“Children should be completely off limits. No excuses. No ifs, no buts,” she said.

She advocated free education and healthcare support for child survivors, social protection measures and sustainable empowerment programmes rather than what she described as tokenistic interventions, and stronger prosecution of offenders,

Njemanze encouraged anyone experiencing abuse to seek help and avoid suffering in silence. “There is a community of survivors willing to stand with you and help you navigate your options. Where we cannot run, we walk. Where we cannot walk, we crawl. But we do something,” she stated.

The ICIR reports that Nigeria continues to grapple with widespread gender-based violence despite efforts by government agencies and civil society organizations like DNF.

Official figures from the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs’ Gender-Based Violence Dashboard recorded 27,698 SGBV cases between 2020 and October 2023, including 1,145 fatal cases and 393 convictions.

Globally, estimates cited by rights advocates indicate that about one in three women experience physical or sexual violence during their lifetime, highlighting the scale of the challenge facing countries such as Nigeria.