The International Network to End Violence Against Women and Girls (INEVAWG) has been in the forefront of global efforts to address and eliminate gender-based violence for many years. Violence against Women and Girl (VAWG) is a global issue of concern. Despite efforts over the years, it continues to be prevalent, manifesting in various forms, including intimate partner violence and abuse, female Genital Mutilation (FGM), child marriage, rape, sexual harassment and cyberbullying.
Centre for Family Health Initiative (CFHI) and Girls’ Power Initiative (GPI) hosted a national consultation to share information about VAWG, propose solutions and develop action plans with other distinguished women leaders working to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres.
The national consultative meeting was held under the auspices of the International Network to End Violence Against Women and Girls (INEVAWG) to bring together stakeholders to chart a course for more effective approaches to the elimination of VAWG. The meeting brought together policymakers, civil society organizations, and stakeholders working and carrying out advocacy programs on the elimination of violence against women and girls in Nigeria.
The objectives of the consultation were to: Gather relevant and current inputs, insights and information related to VAWG in the Nigerian context; Discuss new and innovative ways of dealing with VAWG in the context of global pandemic; Develop an action plan to implement these new ideals and the possible resources that may be needed for implementation; and mobilise and campaign against violence against women and girls, gender equality, equity and gender relationship.
Some of the key highlights of the meeting were the need for more collaboration and synergies within the VAWG space, which is a key focus for INEVAWG. It was also emphasized that collaboration with other sectors such as the private sector to support with resources such as helplines was necessary. In addition, participants expressed enthusiasm at learning about interventions such as the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Response Teams, a government-led multisectoral team providing support for VAWG in some States. Several participants also acknowledged new information relating to the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act and committed to advocating for enactment of this legislation in their States.
The use of technology and digital tools was emphasized, in part, to address the gaps in interventions that became apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stakeholders also emphasized the inclusion of representatives of all groups of women and girls in all intervention processes from design implementation to monitoring and evaluation. Several expressed the hope that the report would be made widely available to help inform their activities and programming. A Call was made for persons to join INEVAWG and forms were distributed.
The Consultative Meeting was a vibrant, interactive session which provided insights that are not often discussed in the literature. Participants brought insights from the field, service provision, personal experiences and intervention implementation in work on VAWG.