Pages: 99-115

Abstract

Violence against women and girls is one of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world. It knows no social, economic or national boundaries. Gender-based violence undermines the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims, yet it remains shrouded in a culture of silence. Victims of violence can suffer sexual and reproductive health consequences, including forced and unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, traumatic fistula, sexually transmitted infections including HIV, and even death. This paper highlights the trends and implications of violence against women in the context of growing insecurity in Nigeria. This is because the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are linked to the extent women are protected from violence. The paper argues for the abolition of harmful practices such as sexual violence and female Genital Mutilation (FGM), honour killing, early marriage, women trafficking and the kidnapping of women by the perpetuator of these acts as panacea for gender harmony in Nigeria. The paper recommends that the Nigerian government through state and non-state actions should put substantive measures in place to protect women from violence, violators of extant laws punished and that the several other bills on violence against women should be passed into law and enforced.