By Godsgift Onyedinefu
Executive Director of Gender Equality, Peace and Development Centre and Zonal Coordinator Gender and Constitutional Reform Network (GECORN), Professor Patricia Donli, has disclosed that rape, sodomy against boys and prostitution is on the rise in Northeast Nigeria due to the impact of the Boko Haram terrorism.
Donli, a lecturer at the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Maiduguri, said a recent research which involves a survey of the prevailing gender based violence revealed an increase, especially in Borno state; She said all stakeholders involved need to take action.
The Professor spoke at a two-day workshop organised by West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) – Nigeria, for journalists in Abuja.
“There is increase in sodomy against boys in Borno state, one research we did recently for an organisation called PO1, survival focus policing where we asked people the various type of Gender Based Violence that operate in their places, everybody agreed that sodomy against boys is actually on the increase and something needs to be done about it,” she said.
Donli, also expressed concerns that rape and prostitution is on the increase. She said the more girls are going into prostitution despite efforts to discourage and empower girls in the region.
“With regards to the girls, we have a lot of rapes, children from five year old are raped; there is incest, where parents are sleeping with their daughters; women who were forced into prostitution because they are internally displaced persons and living in brothels are raped.
“We have worked with a group of them when their brothel was demolished, we worked with them to build their capacity, we empowered them with money and grant for businesses after training. The girls are expanding, they are increasing in numbers, I mean those living in brothels. Even if their brothel is demolished, you find out that they spring up in other places and unfortunately there is no shelter within Borno state to be able to cater for those girls who were resident in those demolished brothels to stay for sometimes to be able to find something for them, so you find that the owners of the brothels, once one is demolished here today, before the following week they will be able to find another location for them.”
While calling for action, Donli noted that stigmatisation against victims of Gender Based Violence are still stigmatised against which prevents them from reporting. She said this stigmatisations does not only comes from community members, but from parents and family members of the victim.
“There is still stigmatisations that stops people from reporting, parents too are not helping matters by telling their children that if they report they will not get married,” she said.
As the 2023 general elections draws near, Donli urged women to ensure that they vote for female contestants. According to her, issues affecting women can best be addressed if there are more women in leadership position.
The workshop which was also supported by the Global Network for Women Peacebuilders (GNWP) is aimed at raising the national and local journalists and media practitioners’ awareness on the WPS resolutions and their role in implementing them; To increase the national, local journalist and media practitioners’ capacities to integrate gender responsive analysis in their work, among others.