#HackSGBV Innovation Challenge

Sexual and gender-based violence has beleaguered the Nigerian Nation for many years and statistics indicate that it is on the increase even with the enactment of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act 2015 with the trends showing that forms of GBV seem to be getting worse. Available data indicate that 1 in every 5 women globally will experience some form of abuse during their lifetime, with the abuser most times being a member of the woman’s family or an intimate acquaintance. 

Women and girls with disabilities are more vulnerable to GBV especially sexual violence due to their vulnerability which perpetrators take advantage of. The multiple oppressions they face leave these women extremely vulnerable to intimate partners and caregivers. UNICEF reported in 2015 that one in four girls and one in ten boys in Nigeria had experienced sexual violence before the age of 18. According to a survey by Positive Action for Treatment Access, over 31.4 percent of girls there said that their first sexual encounter had been rape or forced sex of some kind. 

Women and girls with disabilities in Nigeria encounter multiple barriers in accessing justice services due to lack of protective legislation, negative attitude of service providers, inaccessible facilities, poor knowledge of their rights and poverty. 

Most often, the experiences of violence against women and girls with disabilities remain hidden and unreported due to their fear of blame, increased stigma and low knowledge of reporting channels. In addition, some of them are trapped in cycles of abuse with their caregivers and feel powerless to escape or report.

Therefore, women and girls with disabilities are unable to access justice, their experiences of violence and abuse continue unabated. In an effort to improve access to justice services for women and girls with disabilities while creating demand for these services, DRAC is organizing the #HackSGBV Innovation Challenge with a focus on Disability and SGBV.

Some key issues are:

• One in four girls and one in ten boys in Nigeria have experienced sexual violence before the age of 18. Over 31.4 percent of girls there said that their first sexual encounter had been rape or forced sex of some kind. 
• Sexual consent continues to be grossly misunderstood and misinterpreted. Many in our society lack the knowledge of what sexual consent is and find it difficult to comprehend asking for consent. Both parties must agree to sex — every single time and at every point — for it to be consensual.
• The Nigerian society often finds it difficult to teach their boys to respect “No” and “Stop” in sexual relationships and often promotes the idea that boys will naturally be boys. This has resulted to making a complex issue out of consenting and society needs to be sensitized on this.
• DRAC has discovered that women and girls with disabilities who are more vulnerable to SGBV especially rape because perpetrators take advantage of them rarely come out to report sexual violence perpetrated on them.
• Even when they are willing to report, they have low knowledge about their rights and how to report the abuse.
• Women and girls with disabilities encounter multiple barriers in accessing justice services due to lack of protective legislation, negative attitude of service providers, inaccessible facilities, poor knowledge of their rights and poverty. Most often, their experiences of violence remain hidden and unaddressed due to their fear of blame, increased stigma and verbal abuse when such cases are reported.