By Omoyeni Ojeifo
Advocates in the fight against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) have called for stronger enforcement of existing laws, improved public awareness and better access to justice for survivors to address persistent violence against women and girls in Nigeria.
PerSecondNews correspondent reports that the call was made on Monday in Abuja during solidarity messages delivered at the commencement of Barr. Olubunmi Uluba’s 220-hour Guinness World Record attempt to read aloud SGBV laws from 15 African countries.
The initiative, themed “Advancing Legal Literacy, Strengthening Accountability and Building Collective Action Against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence,” seeks to raise awareness of legal protections, promote public understanding of survivors’ rights and encourage stronger action against SGBV.
In her address, Beatrice Eyong, United Nations Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, identified the gap between existing legal protections and public knowledge of those provisions as one of the major obstacles to addressing SGBV.
“One of the greatest obstacles is the gap between the laws that exist and public knowledge of those protections. Sometimes the duty bearers don’t know about these laws, and sometimes the right owners don’t know about this law,” Eyong said.
She called for collective responsibility involving government, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, the media, families, men and boys to challenge harmful practices and strengthen accountability.
“Ending gender-based violence requires collective responsibility: government, traditional and religious leaders, civil society, the media, families, men and boys, and the intersectionalities that are involved,” she said.
According to her, the significance of the exercise should go beyond setting a world record to reaching millions of people with knowledge of their rights and protections against gender-based violence.
“The most important thing is not just the Guinness World Record, but reaching millions of people, breaking the silence, changing attitudes and ensuring that women and girls live with dignity, safety and freedom from violence,” she said.
In her solidarity message, Yewande Gbola-Awopetu, Head of the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Response Unit, Federal Ministry of Justice, said tackling SGBV required more than the enactment of laws, stressing the need for public education, institutional response and accountability.
“Its eradication requires more than the enactment of laws. It requires sustained public education, effective institutional response, access to justice, accountability, and collective determination to challenge the attitudes, practices, and structures that enable violence,” she noted.
Gbola-Awopetu reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to addressing SGBV through its response unit, particularly by strengthening access to justice for survivors and improving coordination among relevant stakeholders.
“We must continue to build a society where violence is neither normalized nor excused, where survivors are supported rather than stigmatized, and where the law is not only known but effectively enforced,” she said.
Also speaking, Chimdindu Onyedim-Etuwewe, Publicity Secretary of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Abuja Branch, who represented the branch chairman, Barr. Chioma Onyenucheya-Uko commended the initiative and said it offered an opportunity to examine the adequacy and effectiveness of existing laws protecting women and children.
“We also believe that bringing these laws into public consciousness and placing them on a global platform presents an important opportunity to critically examine their adequacy, effectiveness, and relevance, particularly those that have become obsolete or require reform in response to evolving realities,” she said.
She maintained that legal awareness must translate into practical protection and justice for survivors.
“Legal awareness must ultimately translate into effective protection, accountability, access to justice, and meaningful law reform,” she added.
On her part, Gladys Emmanuel, Lead, Organizing Committee, called on Nigerians to identify with the initiative, noting that sustained support would help take the message of legal literacy and protection against SGBV to a wider audience.
PerSecondNews correspondent at the event reports that Uluba began the reading marathon at 12:05 p.m. on Monday and is expected to read continuously for 220 hours, equivalent to nine days and four hours, ending at 4:05 p.m. on Wednesday, November 18, 2026.
She commenced the exercise with Chapter Four of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, which guarantees fundamental rights, beginning with Section 33 on the right to life.
She subsequently proceeded to Section 34, which guarantees the dignity of the human person and prohibits torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, slavery and forced labour.
The event also attracted representatives of civil society organisations, persons with disabilities and other stakeholders who attended in support of the initiative.
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