Human Rights Commission Data Shows Sexual Violence Increasing In Nigeria

Official data from the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC shows that sexual and gender based violence are on the increase in Nigeria.

The NHRC annual reports for 2018 and 2020 obtained by THE WHISTLER showed that sexual and domestic violence wrecked many homes and lives.

The data revealed that SGBV increased in the country from 118,708 complaints received by the Commission in 2018 to 128,320 complaints for 2020 (about 10,000 complaints more than the previous).

Our correspondent also gathered that while the NHRC 2021 annual report is still in the process, sexual and domestic violence currently makes up about 50% of the entire petitions received and investigated by the Commission so far.

In 2020, the NHRC, which is constitutionally saddled with the responsibility of protecting and promoting human rights, categorized the complaints received in the year under review into several thematic areas.

Aside SBGV, other complaints by Nigerians were on: Women and Gender Rights (104,280), Child Rights (212,480), Right of the Aged (600), Judiciary/Rule of law and Access to Justice (43,280), Freedom/liberty of persons (45,280), Right to life (55,680), Freedom of Religion (2,120), Law Enforcement and Human dignity (111,880).

Other complaints received in 2020 were on Quality of Life (14,600), Labour Rights (193,960), Freedom from Discrimination (151,640), Niger Delta and Environment (8,080) and Others (215,520).

The complaints categorized as “Others,” relate to land seizure, inheritance, right to life, food and shelters.

Explaining the reasons for the rise in SGBV, the NHRC Deputy Director Public Affairs, Fatimah Agwai Mohammed, told THE WHISTLER that many families had broken up as a result of the malaise.

She said the global economic downturn which resulted in people being unable to take care of their families gave rise to more violence in homes.

She further revealed that in 2020, sexual assaults grew following the restriction of movement and the isolation associated with the covid-19 lockdown.

She said, “People are losing their jobs, they are traumatized, and there is transferred aggression.

“Cases of sexual and gender based violence form about 50 percent of the cases we receive in the Commission.

“The whole of the COVID-19 period(2020) was when we had the highest number of sexual and gender based violence. Why? Because the men and the women stayed more at home doing nothing, looking at each other, picking up small quarrels and stuff like that.

“And then, as for men who couldn’t control themselves for one reason or the other, we discovered them committing the crime of rape, different kinds of SGBV.”

She also highlighted that government and private workers who were laid off by their companies approached the commission for solution when their employers could no longer pay salaries.

“And for people who cannot fathom why they have to be laid off their jobs, they find solace in complaining to the NHRC. The present global economic issues is a challenge,” Mohammed added.

Our correspondent observed that out of 1,124,600 petitions received by the NHRC in 2020, only 190,520 complaints were investigated and concluded.
The remaining 934,080 complaints were at different stages of investigation by the end of that year.

Mohammed explained that investigation takes time, especially for those that the parties involved are not immediately within reach as a result of unclear addresses.

Some have being concluded but the final report on them were not yet out at the time.

“We have different stages, it depends on whether a complaint is concluded and completely administered, that is when you categorize it as concluded, but if it is still ongoing, that is when it is not concluded and some of the reasons I highlighted to you is why they were not concluded.

“And some of them also, you discover that their addresses are not traceable, and it’s difficult to get the parties involved because you can’t trace them.

“Somebody tells you that their house is near the mango tree; because of the problems we also have with numbering of houses, location and accurate addresses , it takes time for us to contact and locate parties,” Mohammed said.