266 CASES OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS RECORDED IN ADAMAWA STATE IN 2022.
By Gloria Abutu
In 2022, the National Human Rights Commission recorded 266 cases of human rights violation in Adamawa state.
70 percent of these cases were Sexual and Gender Based Violence.
The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) puts the number of girls who experience sexual violence in Nigeria at one in every four.
According to a senior Legal Officer at the National Human Rights Commission in Adamawa state Fatima Mandara, the 266 cases of SGBV reported in the state in 2022 includes domestic violence, defilement, sexual abuse, unlawful arrest and detention, parental negligence, right to inheritance, among others.
She called for sensitization in schools, communities and the general public on the implications of human rights abuse to stem the tide of human rights violation in the society.
Adamawa state Coordinator, Women Peace Humanitarian Forum, Zoaka Mary Haruna called on Survivors of Gender Based Violence to break the culture of silence and seek justice by reporting cases in order to prosecute perpetrators.
She called on Service Providers to work according to the guiding principles of GBV to enable them discharge their duties effectively.
On his part, Adah James of Grassroots Researchers Association described service providers as critical stakeholders and called for strengthening of social accountability platforms to increase reporting of GBV cases.
A security personnel who craved anonymity pointed out that many survivors of GBV usually withdraw complaints due to financial burden and advised them to be resilient in the face of challenges until justice is served in their case.
All stakeholders who spoke to Radio Nigeria advocated early reporting as the fastest means of securing justice for survivors of Sexual and Gender Based Violence.
