On Saturday, Ireti Kingibe, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, pledged to institute gender-based violence marshals across each ward in the Federal Capital Territory as part of a strategy to combat the escalating incidents of violence targeting women and girls.
During discussions with journalists at the Betta Arts Festival in Abuja, a film screening event held in collaboration with the Orange Nigeria Project to commemorate the 16 days of activism against GBV, the federal lawmaker outlined plans to launch these marshals by January 2024. Their primary role would involve monitoring and reporting cases of gender-based violence, referred to as “Orange Girls.”
Expressing deep concern over the surge in sexual gender-based violence across Nigeria, Kingibe highlighted the distressing toll, citing over 1,250 fatalities since the launch of the National Gender-based Violence Situation Room and Dashboard in November 2020.
She further disclosed that nationwide, 28,000 GBV cases had been reported, with over 9,000 legal cases initiated against offenders, and more than 8,000 cases pending in various courts.
While emphasizing the intended purpose of the 16 days of activism for advocacy, Kingibe noted the increased awareness achieved compared to previous years.
She said, “To curb the rising cases of GBV in the FCT, I will engage ward volunteers, known as Orange Marshalls who will monitor and report cases of violence against women and girls, in January 2024. Sadly, the number of GBV convictions is nothing to go by. The number of fatalities is over 1,250.
“Since the launch of the National Data Situation Room, over 28,000 GBV cases have been reported nationwide. In all those cases over 9000 have been opened against offenders while over 8,000 are still pending in various courts, and over 8800 cases have been withdrawn either by the courts,
“By the middle of January, I would call for volunteers from the wards who will be orange marshalls to monitor SGBV in their respective wards and report it.”
Speaking on gender bills expected from her, she pointed out that laws were already in place, but noted that enforcing them has been the problem.
The Betta Arts Festival film screening organiser, Bikiya Graham-Douglas said the idea behind the filming was to “tell stories from Africa on sexual gender-based violence.
