THE NATURE AND PREVALENCE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper examines the struggle for gender equality in serves Nigeria. It observes that despite Nigeria’s ratification of virtually all international instruments on protection and promotion of gender rights and equality, she has failed to domesticate most of them. Consequently, this has slowed down the pace of women emancipation in Nigeria; it has also denied women right s activists in Nigeria a wider and stronger platform to agitate for the enforcement of women’s right. This paper further highlights and examines inter-alia, the galaxies of gender discriminatory laws that still exist in the pages of Nigerian statue in Nigeria. The paper also observes that the gender inequalities in the system have occasioned an intense marginalization and subjugation of Nigerian women to the background, in virtually every sphere of life, the paper recommends new strategies to be adopted by gender right activist in combating these institutionalized discriminations. The strategic include, an urgent review of all gender discriminatory laws in Nigeria, sensitization of Nigeria women to their legal right through intensified aggressive advocacy and enlightenment, establishment of more gender violation monitoring agencies in Nigeria. The sensitization of Nigeria law enforcement agent and judges on the need for a stricter enforcement of women’s right’s, immediate abolition by the Nigeria government of all harmful culture practices that impede women’s right’s, an urgent domestication of all internationals treaties, Nigeria has ratified, and enactment of more specific gender friendly based legislations. Finally, a case is made for more appointment of women to hold political offices. The paper further researches should be channeled towards discovering the reason for the high level of complacency of Nigerian women to these persistent flagrant violations of their rights.