16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM: PROTESTORS DEMAND OVERHAUL OF NIGERIA’S RESPONSE TO SEXUAL VIOLENCE

A coalition of civil-society advocates, legal practitioners and parents of victims staged a sit-in protest on Tuesday at the Nigerian Bar Association Centre in Ikeja, Lagos on Tuesday 25th November,2025, calling for decisive government action against the country’s enduring culture of sexual violence. The demonstration, organized by the Tonia Bruised but Not Broken Foundation and the Stop the Abuse Foundation, formed part of global events marking the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.

The gathering drew women and men from various gender-rights groups, as well as lawyers and guardians of victims, many of whom shared painful accounts of cases that never saw justice. The names of victims who did not survive include Ochanya Elizabeth Ogbanje, Christiana Idowu, Iniobong Umoren, Barakat Bello, Bamise, Omowunmi, Uwaila Vera and others, were invoked repeatedly as symbols of a justice system that protestors say has failed the vulnerable.

Anthonia Ojenagbon, coordinator of the Tonia Bruised but Not Broken Foundation, criticized what she described as a persistent pattern of impunity surrounding sexual-violence cases in Nigeria. According to her, survivors are often disbelieved, silenced or stigmatized, while perpetrators with institutional or political backing sometimes walk free.

She said that too many offenders had been released even after convictions and some are celebrated publicly. She said that this emboldens others and deepens the fears of survivors who already struggle to speak out.

Barrister Toyin Ndidi Ojo, a legal practitioner, coordinator of Stop the Abuse Foundation and Secretary of the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA), urged the government to confront systemic failures. She called for gender parity, stronger investigations and a unified national framework modeled on Lagos State’s sexual-offences courts and offender registry.

She stated that Women, girls, boys, children and vulnerable Nigerians deserve equal protection and that perpetrators must not benefit from loopholes that allow miscarriages of justice.

A Lagos-based filmmaker and board member of the Mirabel Centre; the country’s first sexual-assault referral center, Ego Boyo, said she joined the protest to reinforce the importance of public education. She argued that widespread awareness remains one of the most effective tools for ensuring justice.

The crowd also heard from the mother of a young girl who secured justice seven years after being assaulted by her school headmaster. She recounted the emotional and psychological toll the process had taken on her daughter and urged Nigerian parents to remain alert to signs of distress in children.

Another voice at the protest, Dr. Lemmy Ughegbe, Executive Director of the Men Against Rape Foundation in Abuja, highlighted the case of Karen Hapush, a victim who died following sustained abuse. He alleged that attempts to seek justice have been met with harassment, intimidation and retaliation.

As the 16 Days of Activism continue worldwide, protestors in Lagos say their demands are simple. They ask for strengthened legal protections, nationwide replication of specialized courts, transparent prosecutions and an end to a culture that allows violence to persist unchecked. Their message to the government was unequivocal. Justice delayed is justice denied and the country can no longer look away.