By Thompson ABISOLA
The U.S. Cultural Affairs Officer to Nigeria, Mr Sterling Tilley, on Thursday reiterated the country’s commitment to prevent and respond to fights against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Nigeria.
Tilley made this known in his address at the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women organised by the U.S. Embassy in Abuja.
He described GBV as an illness that degrades the society and therefore assured of his country’s commitment to prevent and respond through intervention to achieve desired targets.
According to Tilley, it is estimated that 35 per cent of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their lifetime.
“In Nigeria, it is estimated that three in 10 women have suffered some form of sexual violence in their lifetimes.
“Domestic violence, street harassment and sexual harassment in the workplace are all forms of GBV that have a direct negative impact on gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.
“For our part, the U.S. government has funded many initiatives in Nigeria to combat violence, especially in secondary schools or at some workplaces, where sexual harassment and sexual violence is present.
“Such intervention is the U.S. Government’s funding of seven Sexual Assault Referral Centres in seven states (Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna, Niger, Lagos, Enugu and Akwa Ibom) with possibility of adding three more.
“This work focuses mainly on providing first line medical and psychosocial support, whilst creating linkages to other services so that a holistic service delivery system is available to survivors,” Tilley said.
He decried that 571 cases of sexual GBV been reported to the U.S. Government funded centres in the past five month, specifically from May to September 2018, gave cause for concern.
He said that 86 per cent out of the out of 571 were women, 392 were rape cases and 65 per cent were of children below 15 years of age.
“This horrific statistics demands action by all Nigerians; I call on you to support those who are living in untenable conditions.
“Whether they are being abused in their intimate partner relations or are preyed on at work or are harassed in school,” he added.
He, however, condoled with the U.S. nationals on the death of former President George Bush, and urged the participant to join the U.S. government to officially mourn him.
Speaking, Mission Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for Nigeria, Mr Stephen Haykin, , decried GBV as caused by unequal relations between men and women.
According to him, efforts have been made to proffer lasting solutions to issues about GVB, but more needs to be done to achieve the desired goal.
Haykin said “there is need for holistic approach; through such steps we can basically take strategic action and be able to reduce cases of GBV.
“We cannot turn blind eye to the issues that surround GBV, we must take the issue seriously.”
The event being organised by the Embassy sought to commemorate the annual 16 Days of Activism from Nov. 25, to Dec. 10, to create awareness on the need for women empowerment.
Bush, who recently passed away, was the 41st President of the U.S.
