A recent study by Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN), highlights the Nigerian government’s lack of gender-sensitive responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the study, a disconnect between policymakers, women-interest groups, and experts is responsible for the uneven effect of the pandemic on Nigerian women. In an interview with PWAN, Dalberg Advisors, Lagos, discussed COVID-19, sexual and gender-based violence in Nigeria.
Q: The study notes that more survivors are turning to social media for support. Are there any practical steps survivors should take or bear in mind before seeking help on social media?
A: Social media is a powerful tool. Many survivors are in situations where they feel they cannot speak up or will be punished for speaking up. Social media also enables survivors to not only share their experiences, but also to seek support from fellow survivors. To an extent, social media gives survivors the agency to curate and protect their space.
However, it is vital to consider the Nigerian context where data protection laws are not necessarily enforced, and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) is stigmatised. Before taking to social media, survivors might want to consider protecting their identity and enlisting support from trusted advisors — this is a highly recommended precaution, especially if the perpetrator involved is a high-profile figure. Individuals speaking on behalf of survivors should also make sure to always obtain consent and confirm the information with the survivor before sharing to the public.
Q: What was it like collecting data for the report? Can you describe any challenges you encountered?
A: As you can imagine, the pandemic has affected everything. Even before lockdown measures were enforced, it wasn’t easy accessing primary data on women in the rural areas across Nigeria. The pandemic made the data-collection process even more complicated. We tried our best to obtain rich and diversified data using mixed tools, such as online surveys, phone calls, and focus-group discussions.
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Another challenge we faced was the lack of coordination between data-gathering sources in the country. On Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), Nigeria does not currently have a unified data management and processing system. Different government agencies and NGOs collect data at the local level, but hardly ever scale up to the federal level. It is quite common for entire datasets to be reported missing.
Q: How can police officers and other first-responders provide better support to SGBV survivors?
A: The first and most important thing is to believe. Believe survivors and treat them with dignity. Our police officers need to undergo intense capacity building exercises. Although the police force has a department dedicated to the reporting of SGBV cases in the country, officers need to be better trained in the proper procedures and response mechanisms.
We cannot run away from the police. They are responsible for public order and safety in any country. We already have several agencies and NGOs committed to the alleviation of SGBV in Nigeria. We don’t need to set up another one. What we should focus on is improving the capacity of police officers and ensuring that they record cases, perform due diligence and carry survivors along.
Q: What might access to healthcare for women and SGBV survivors look like after the pandemic?
A: Two major things need to be improved to enhance access to healthcare: primary healthcare services and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). Nigeria’s primary healthcare centres are understaffed, overburdened, and under-resourced. These centres also cater to people from rural communities—a large portion of who make up Nigeria’s population. We have a long way to go in ensuring that these centres are not only equipped to function but are also accessible to the public. Many primary healthcare centres are located in areas where the people they serve cannot easily walk in for treatment.
We also need to strengthen the national health insurance scheme (NHIS) by ensuring more people are covered, and more medical staff are assigned to public healthcare centres.
What now?
Nigerians have a collective responsibility in ensuring that women, people with disabilities and other minority groups have access to the resources needed to thrive, especially during a global pandemic. In addition to increasing the representation of minority groups at all levels of government, public, private and civil sector stakeholders must work together to enact holistic policies that work for all Nigerians.
