The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday said it received about 140, 000 complaints on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Nigeria.

The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu made this known in a statement to commemorate the 2021 International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (IDEVW) in Abuja.

Nov. 25 every year is a day set aside by the UN for the awareness of violence against women.

In the statement signed by Fatimah Mohammed, Deputy Director Public Affairs, Ojukwu decried the increasing number of cases of SGBV.

He said that between 2020 and March 2021 alone, the commission received over 139, 780 complaints on SBGV.

He stated that the theme of this year’s celebration: “Orange the World: End Violence Against Women Now!” was very apt as it resonated hope that reversing the trend of gender violence, particularly against women and girls was possible. ”

Ojukwu observed that the increase in the number of SGBV in the last couple of years was exacerbated by COVID-19 which led to lockdown in several parts of the globe including Nigeria.

” When people are locked down, there is a high tendency that their inert behaviour will manifest more, and this has unfortunately been reflected in the remarkable surge in cases of SBGV in the country and probably elsewhere.

” Stakeholders should focus more attention on public education/awareness on SGBV and implementation of extant laws and policies that will entrench the culture of accountability around gender issues.

” Civil Society Organisations (CSO), traditional authorities, and religious leaders should be at the forefront in tackling the scourge of SGBV,” Ojukwu said.

He added that more sensitisation was needed at the grassroots level so that people would become more conscious of protecting and enforcing their rights and the consequences and punishments that await any culprits.

He added that the commission had carried out various programmes and activities including holding public hearings in the six geopolitical zones of the country to address the upsurge of SGBV cases.

” The 36 state offices of the NHRC and headquarters have continued to grapple with these cases on daily basis, and we can rightly say that there is hope of changing the ugly narratives.

” The 16 Days of Activism which start today, the Nov. 25 culminating into the Dec. 10 (the International Human Rights Day) is a turning point towards addressing the SGBV scourge across the world.

” As part of the commission’s activities to mark the 16 days of activism, the NHRC state offices including the Abuja Metropolitan Office are carrying out series of activities.

” This includes advocacy visits to relevant stakeholders with the aim of reminding each of them of their role in curbing the ugly trend,” he said.