Nigeria Launches First Violence Against Women Reporting Platform

The EU Support to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (ESGBV) Programme in Nigeria has facilitated the deployment of Nigeria’s first standardized Violence Against Women (VAW) Reporting Platform, developed by the Federal Ministry of Justice. This initiative was announced during the Deployment and Operationalisation of the VAW Reporting Platform and the National Validation and Capacity-Building Workshop held in Abuja.

Ms Melissa Omene, a GBV Policy and Strategy Development Specialist with the ESGBV Programme, highlighted that the platform addresses critical weaknesses in Nigeria’s handling of violence against women, particularly fragmented data and inadequate case tracking. An assessment revealed gaps in data coordination and justice-sector monitoring.

The National GBV Dashboard recorded 4,449 GBV cases in the first half of 2023, totaling over 19,000 since the platform's launch in 2020. Mrs Yewande Gbola-Awopetu, Head of the SGBV Unit at the Federal Ministry of Justice, emphasized the importance of accurate information from desk officers for the system's success.

The platform will consolidate state-level data into a national database, enhancing visibility and accessibility for justice institutions.