The Federal Government, on Thursday, inaugurated an Inter-Ministerial Management Committee on Eradication of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence as part of measures to stem the rising wave of the pandemic.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who performed the ceremony at the Federal Ministry of Justice, said the government was deeply concerned about the worsening cases of sexual and gender-based violence in the country.
He disclosed that the Committee would as part of its mandate, conduct a review of all the existing laws and policy instruments touching on offences of rape, child defilement and gender-based violence.
The representative of the UN Population Fund Ulla Mueller, noted that Nigeria witnessed a spike in sexual violence with the Covid-19 pandemic, even as she commended the government for rising to the challenge by setting up the Committee.
According to a study conducted by the World Health Organization, 35% of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence.
