Lucky Palmer, the Country Director of Ipas Nigeria Health Foundation, disclosed concerning rates of sexual violence in Nigeria during the One-day Women Integrated Services for Health (WISH) Project Dissemination Meeting in Abuja. Palmer noted that 3 out of 4 women and girls have experienced sexual violence, underscoring the urgency for intervention.
The WISH project, implemented over the past five years, focused on improving government policies, regulations, and laws to prevent sexual and gender-based violence. It provided services like contraception, post-abortion care, therapeutic abortion, and emotional rehabilitation through Sexual Assault Referral Centers (SARC). The project aimed to create a safe environment for women to plan pregnancies, enhance sexual reproductive health, and prevent reproductive coercion.
Despite challenges, such as security concerns limiting outreach in Borno state and the impact of COVID-19, the WISH project witnessed successes. Community and religious leaders, as well as law enforcement officers, became advocates against social norms perpetuating gender-based violence.
As the project concludes, Palmer urged partners to build on its achievements, envisioning a Nigeria free from reproductive coercion, survivor stigmatization, and impunity for perpetrators. He called for a society where every woman can exercise her sexual reproductive health and rights without fear or discrimination.
Dr. Ejike Oji, President/CEO of Dr. Ejike Oji Community Development Foundation, and Chairman of the Association for the Advancement of Family Planning (AAFP), emphasized the need for the federal government to expand Sexual Assault and Referral Centers across the country. He advocated for governmental ownership of these centers and the naming and shaming of perpetrators.
The representative of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Development, Mr. Isikong Patricia, expressed the ministry’s commitment to implementing laws and policies addressing health-related matters. The event included partners sharing success stories, celebrating the transformative impact of the WISH project on the sexual reproductive health and rights of Nigerian women, particularly those in Northeast, Northwest, and Benue States.
