{"id":434,"date":"2021-06-27T12:03:05","date_gmt":"2021-06-27T12:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bbforpeace.org\/blog\/?p=434"},"modified":"2021-06-27T12:03:07","modified_gmt":"2021-06-27T12:03:07","slug":"gender-based-violence-and-its-implications-on-sustainable-peace-and-development-in-nigeria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bbforpeace.org\/blog\/2021\/06\/27\/gender-based-violence-and-its-implications-on-sustainable-peace-and-development-in-nigeria\/","title":{"rendered":"GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON SUSTAINABLE PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by Adebayo Blessing <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Violence\nis a form of action that causes pain, destruction or suffering to the affected\npersons. All over the world, gender-based violence act as threats to human\nrights and hinders the ability of the victims to contribute meaningfully to\nsocietal growth, sustainable peace and development. This is because victims of\nviolence often find it difficult to express themselves freely or explore the\ntalents embedded in them to make their environment more soothing, loving,\npeaceful and comfortable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\ndefinition, gender-based violence constitute any form of violence that affects\nindividuals or groups on the basis of their gender. In other words, it is a\nform of violence directed against a person because of their gender. Gender-based\nviolence is a phenomenon deeply rooted in gender inequality and continues to be\none of the most notable human right violations. The European commission has it\nthat gender-based violence can take different forms and mostly affects women\nand girls, which can result in physical, sexual, psychological or economic harm,\ndepending on the society or individual being affected. Notable examples of\ngender-based violence include: domestic violence, sex-based harassment, online\nviolence, female genital mutilation, and forced marriage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Domestic\nViolence: It includes all acts of violence that occurs within the family,\ndomestic unit or intimate partners either by physical, sexual, psychological or\neconomic means.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sexual-Based\nHarassment: This is a form of unwelcome verbal, physical or other non-verbal\nconduct of a sexual nature with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity\nof a person.  It is stated that 45% to\nabout 55% of women in the EU have experienced sexual harassment since the age\nof 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online\nViolence: This is a unique term used to describe all sought of illegal and or\nharmful behaviours against men and women in the online space. It could include\noffensive or sexually explicit emails or messages, sharing of private images\nand videos without consent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Female\nGenital Mutilation: The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines it as all\nprocedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female\ngenitalia, or other injuries to the female genital organs for non-medical\nreasons. It violates women\u2019s bodies and often damages their mental health,\nsexuality, well-being and participation in their community activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forced\nMarriage: It refers to marriage conducted under force or coercion. It is\nclosely linked to child or early marriage i.e. when a marriage is between two\nminors or an adult and a minor often before the minor has reached puberty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consequences of Gender-Based\nViolence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gender-based\nviolence takes different forms to operate within its environment thus they\ninclude: physical, sexual or psychological. Factors such as poverty, lack of\neducation and unemployment are set to cause gender-based violence in the life\nof a person or a community. No matter the form of gender-based violence, it\nleaves several short and long-term implications for victims which prevents them\nfrom contributing actively to the promotion of sustainable peace and\ndevelopment, some of which include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lack\nof trust: Victims of gender-based violence usually feel insecure and find it\nvery difficult to trust people because of their experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Psychological\ntrauma: The presence of violence on the lives of affected persons causes\ndepression, low self-esteem, anxiety and even mental illness, which hampers\nthem from relating meaningfully with people around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear:\nThe presence of any form of gender-based violence such as sexual-based\nharassment is liable to cause fear on affected victims. Due to their\nexperiences, they often feel afraid to move out of their vicinity because they\ndon\u2019t know the person that has a plan of harm against them out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health\ncrisis & complications: Gender-based violence such as female genital\nmutilation or rape can cause serious health crisis or complications for victims\nsuch as infections, sexually transmitted diseases etc. Furthermore, females who\nare forced to marry at an early age may face traumatic fistula, reproductive\nhealth consequences, and severe pain in their body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insecurity: In the sense that their future and dreams are shattered, unsecured and unprotected, many are forced to drop out of school while their aspirations to be educated and sound is trampled on increasing the risk of poverty, lack of education, livelihood opportunities and impunity for crime and abuse, also tend to contribute to and reinforce a culture of violence and discrimination based on gender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The\nWay Forward<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To\nevery problem there must be a way out here. Possible solutions to curbing the\nmenace of gender-based violence especially among women and girls who tend to be\nmore vulnerable to the issue include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nneed to take a stand against regressive forces: Globally, it is stated that 1\nin 3 girls have or will experience violence in their lifetime thus there is a\nneed to reach out to marginalised and rural girls to enlighten them on the\nvarious forms of gender-based violence. Child Marriage denies girls their\nrights to make vital decisions about their bodies, well- being and future. It\nforces them out of education and into a life of poor prospects with an\nincreased risk of violence, abuse and ill-health. This occurrence is common to\nthe less developed countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encourage\ngirls to speak out: There is a need for workshops about sexual exploitation, girl\u2019s\nright and advocacy for young girls to build their confidence on the ability to\nspeak up about the violence they face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Engage\nboys and young men to become agents of change: Boys can take up the\nresponsibility of standing up for gender equality and breaking down the\nattitude that cause violence against girls and women. The need to be educated\nfrom a young age is pertinent to their lives. Youths can also be mobilised youth\nto fight against harmful practices such as child marriage and FGM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Active\nListening to girls who have experiences would help: One of the ways of solving\nand tackling gender-based violence is if we take our time to listen to the\nstories of victims and respond to their needs. This gives room for a positive\napproach and a brighter understanding of the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Educate\nyourself and those around you: Proper self-education and educating those around\nyou about the occurrences and dangers of gender-based violence is a great tool\nto combat the menace and reducing the percentage of victimization in the\ncountry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use\nyour voice on social media to bring awareness to GBV: The social media is a\ngreat tool to spread news, information\u2019s, ads, across boundaries reaching out\nto millions of people at once. International bodies can easily reach out to\nsocieties affected without delay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sponsor\na woman survivor of conflict and war: A woman who already has an experience of\nviolence knows and feels the hurt. Thus, sponsoring more people like these\nsurvivors who are passionate about being agents of change to in their community\ncan help to protect the upcoming generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nvarious forms of gender-based violence represent examples of human rights\nviolations, with serious physical, emotional, and psychological implications on\nvictims, survivors and their families. While gender-based violence affects both\nmen and women, entrenched gender discriminatory norms and the patriarchal nature\nof most African societies account for the prevalence of gender-based violence\non women and girls in countries like Nigeria. To reduce the prevalence of\ngender-based violence in Nigeria, there is need to strengthen access to information\nand justice for victims of GBV. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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