By Uche Onyeali
West African Action Network on Small Arms, WAANSA, has thrown its weight behind calls for review of laws for on on gender-based issues in Nigeria and across Africa.
WAANSA in statement as part of the ongoing 2025 activities marking the 2025 Global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, organised by the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, in Abuja, themed ‘Ending Digital Violence,” urged Nigerians to support the review of existing gender-based violence laws to reflect emerging realities.
Speaking at the rally, organised as a No-Tolerance Walk Against Gender-Based Violence, the director of Gender, WAANSA Nigeria, Anambra State chapter, Kindness Nkechinyere Oledibe noted thad crime is dynamic, and the laws designed to address it must be equally dynamic.
She observed that the rise in digital violence, including non-consensual distribution of videos, the use of artificial intelligence to create fabricated images of women, and other forms of online harassment, posed a serious threat to gender safety in Nigeria and across the globe.
Oledibe also drew attention to the outcome of the 4th Review Conference of the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, which called on states, international organisations, and civil society groups, to move from words to concrete action, noting that gender-based violence is often linked to the misuse of small arms and light weapons globally.
She emphasised that stronger and more enforceable laws against gender-based violence will have transformative impact by providing better protection for victims, challenging harmful social norms, and ensuring that perpetrators do not escape accountability with a mere slap on the wrist.
WAANSA expressed appreciation to the Minister of Women Affairs for her commitment to ending gender-based violence, stating that such efforts demonstrate the government’s readiness to address the genuine concerns of millions of Nigerian women, who remain critical stakeholders in the country’s democratic and development journey.
The organisation further stressed that online-facilitated gender-based violence is real, and called on all relevant authorities and citizens to unite in saying no to all forms of gender-based violence.
