1 in 3 women face abuse from partners – NHRC

The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Tony Ojukwu, has said that one in three women worldwide face…

The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Tony Ojukwu, has said that one in three women worldwide face sexual and other physical abuses mostly from their intimate partners.

Speaking Friday in Abuja during a road walk to commemorate the 2021 International Human Rights Day, he lamented that violence against women and girls was a human right violation and that the immediate and long-term physical, sexual and mental consequences for women and girls could be devastating and even leading to deaths.

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He further said violence against women and girls was one of the most widespread, ongoing and unsettling human rights violations, and that unfortunately it had remained largely unreported due to silence, stigma and shame attached to it.

Ojukwu noted that the principle of equality and non-discrimination was at the heart of human rights, hence that ending violence against women was everyone’s business and a global campaign.

He said each year members of the United Nations (UN) embarked on activism to raise awareness and demand calls to action on ending violence against women and girls.

Also, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Michelle Bachelet, whose speech was read by the Director, Human Rights Education and Promotion, Aver Gavar, said, “No matter who we are, who we love or where we live, we have equal opportunities to live in dignity and pursue our dreams.”