The global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV)—from November 25th to December 10th—is an urgent call for decisive action, reinforcing for the ARA Foundation that violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a human rights violation that Nigeria can no longer afford to treat with half-measures.
The campaign, which begins on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, reminds us that protecting women and girls is a moral, legal, and national imperative. We must confront the brutal reality that in Nigeria, countless girls and women are dying in a predictable, preventable progression from abuse to fatality, often at the hands of people they trust.
The heartbreaking case of 13-year-old Ochanya Ogbanje, whose life was cut short after years of sexual assault led to fatal health complications, is a national wound. It symbolizes the systemic failures that continue to cost girls their lives. The ARA Foundation carries these stories and this grief into every aspect of our work because every girl deserves justice, safety, and the chance to live a full life.
The ARA Foundation believes violence is preventable, and our approach adapts to survivor needs while confronting the patriarchal norms—both physical and digital—that enable abuse. We anchor our work on three non-negotiable pillars: first, Grassroots Empowerment, which means supporting women-led, community-based organizations to shift harmful cultural norms where they begin; second, Policy & Justice Advocacy, where we work with governments to strengthen laws, enforce protections, and demand unwavering accountability for perpetrators; and third, Data-Driven Interventions, investing in rigorous data systems to track trends, understand risk factors, and design evidence-based programs.
Ending GBV requires political will, institutional collaboration, and national ownership. To embed GBV prevention at the heart of governance, the ARA Foundation is engaging key stakeholders, including the Office of the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, to champion a unified national movement and drive cultural change; State First Ladies, to ensure practical implementation of protection policies across all geopolitical zones; and Federal Ministries like Humanitarian Affairs and Women Affairs, to guarantee survivors receive trauma support and essential services while sustaining momentum through long-term policies.
Furthermore, this year’s theme, “UNiTE to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls,” highlights an urgent crisis, as the digital space has become a new arena of abuse, including non-consensual sharing of intimate images, cyberstalking, and the algorithmic amplification of misogynistic content. These attacks disproportionately target female journalists, activists, and public figures, leading to severe psychological trauma and silencing women’s voices.
Our call to technology companies is clear: Tech platforms must prioritize user safety by design, rapidly remove harmful content, penalize perpetrators, and reduce misogynistic algorithmic amplification.
Silence is complicity; the time for corporate neutrality is over. The real engine of change is community action, and we call on schools, religious institutions, workplaces, and traditional leaders to take concrete steps, such as fostering survivor-centred dialogue to guide community change, leveraging local media to expose abuse and educate families, implementing bystander intervention to equip citizens with practical skills to safely interrupt harmful behavior, and engaging men and boys to redefine masculinity and address the root causes of abusive behaviours.
Protection must not be seasonal; it must be an everyday national ethic. The ARA Foundation is committed to a 365-day mission grounded in accountability, survivor support, policy enforcement, and grassroots empowerment. We call on political leaders, donors, partners, and every Nigerian citizen: Join us. Stand with our girls.
Break the silence. Demand justice. Build the Nigeria where every woman and girl lives free from fear—every day, everywhere.
