Data and evidence are powerful approaches that enable stakeholders to develop targeted, effective, and sustainable solutions in gender-based violence prevention and response. GBV is preventable and there is more evidence than ever before about what works – a comprehensive, whole-of-government/society approaches, that are supported by dedicated funding, including to women’s rights organizations, are the most effective for eliminating GBV.
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (16 DoA) currently in day 10 calls for more evidence-based approaches rather than rhetoric to address the root causes of violence and ensure that interventions are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound.
Data and evidence help us understand the problem of GBV by collecting demographic and incidence data to identify the scale and scope of GBV in specific regions or populations. Data can also reveal underlying causes and contributors, such as poverty, education levels, societal norms, or exposure to conflict.
Data informs policies that prioritize areas and groups most affected by GBV. Evidence on successful interventions, such as community-led initiatives or economic empowerment programs, can guide resource allocation. Data helps measure the effectiveness of programs or laws, showing what works and what doesn’t. Continuous data collection supports refining approaches to maximize outcomes.
Evidence underscores the urgency of addressing GBV, rallying stakeholders, donors, and policymakers. Data dispels myths and challenges harmful stereotypes that perpetuate violence. Apps and platforms can provide real-time reporting and anonymized data collection, especially in underserved areas. Insights from social media and online platforms can highlight trends and mobilize advocacy efforts.
Disaggregating data by gender, age, ethnicity, and other factors ensures no group is overlooked including prioritising survivors’ safety and consent in data collection, adhering to guidelines like WHO’s ethical recommendations for researching GBV. Governments, NGOs, academics, and tech companies can collaborate to enhance data quality and utility and build the capacity of community members and civil society organisations in data collection to ensure culturally sensitive and accurate insights.
While data and evidence are critical for addressing GBV prevention and response, it is also critical for such data and evidence to be locally sourced and analysed by those who understand the socio-cultural context and dynamics of the target population. That’s what Womanity Index, by Invictus Africa and BudgIT aims to achieve in Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal over the next three years.
About Womanity Index
Womanity Index is an annual, data-driven, and evidence-based assessment of the performance of subnational governments in preventing and responding to gender-based violence. Each state’s performance is evaluated based on 18 indicators across five indexes: Laws and Policies, Access to Legal Justice, Support Services, Information and Awareness, and Budget and Spending.
The Index addresses the critical need for subnational data that not only reflects the efforts and performance of state governments but also informs policies, funding priorities, and strategic actions for effective prevention and response to gender-based violence.
Laws and Policies evaluates the existence and quality of state laws and policies that criminalizes GBV, with regular reviews to remove provisions that inadvertently perpetuate GBV, while addressing harmful customary norms and socio-cultural practices that enable GBV.
Access to Legal Justice measures availability of easy, timely, and equitable access to legal justice through effective reporting, prosecution, and enforcement processes that are free from discrimination and bureaucracy. It entails the existence of specialized GBV courts with trained officials, designated judges, accessible legal aid, effective witness protection, enforcement of court judgments, and the regular publication of a Sex Offenders’ Register. The index also examines community-level informal justice systems, evaluating their overall effectiveness and alignment with justice principles.
Support Services looks at the availability of comprehensive support services—medical, mental health, legal, economic—for GBV survivors, provided through state-run Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) and/or shelters that are governed by Standard Operating Procedures, including being accessible across the state and proportionate to the state’s population. The index also assesses the presence of user-friendly, subnational-level reporting and referral Pathways, including strengthening of informal support networks.
Information and Awareness tracks the regular provision and wide dissemination of clear, user-friendly, and equally accessible information, education, and communication (IEC) materials about GBV. It also assesses the availability and usage of a comprehensive sex education curriculum in schools in the state.
Budget and Spending tracks specific budget lines and allocation to address GBV by the state’s Ministry of Women Affairs, including actual release and spend as a percentage of the state’s female population.
Numbers Don’t Lie
The 2024 Womanity Index show that roughly 3 out of every 5 Nigerians have either experienced GBV themselves or know someone who has, with significantly higher rates reported in Bayelsa, Cross River, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, and Rivers states.
One in two (46%) survivors of GBV in Nigeria report experiencing domestic violence (DV) or intimate partner violence (IPV). States like Ebonyi (73%), Niger (68%), Bayelsa (64%), Plateau (62%), Abia (60%), and Kebbi (60%) report the highest rates. Approximately one in three (33%) survivors of GBV in Nigeria experience sexual violence (such as rape, molestation, groping, and sex-for-favours); while about 1 in 2.5 (41%) experience physical violence (such as beating, slapping, kicking, and hitting).
The data further shows that GBV isn’t always sexual or physical—one in three (35%) survivors endure mental or emotional violence, including verbal abuse, insults, intimidation, and belittling while One in 1.5 (69%) survivors of GBV report experiencing the GBV within their own homes.
When deciding where to seek help, 37% of GBV survivors prioritize trust in the provider, while 27% base their decision on their perception of the provider’s ability to meet their specific needs. 34% of GBV survivors prefer to seek help from their families or relatives. In comparison, only 27% turn to the police or law enforcement authorities, 13% rely on friends or neighbours, and just 4% seek legal assistance from a lawyer.
Impact and Challenges of GBV Data and Evidence
Data and evidence-driven solutions to GBV have transformative impacts at individual, community, and systemic levels. These impacts are seen in prevention, response, and the overall reduction of GBV.
Some of the most notable outcomes include enhanced prevention strategies, improved survivor support services, legislative and policy reforms, increased accountability, reduction in violence rates and shift in societal norms. In Nigeria, data and evidence-driven solutions have played a crucial role in addressing GBV, particularly in developing targeted interventions, influencing policy, and improving survivor support systems.
Such approaches have helped influence legislative reforms including the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP), 2015, improved advocacy and awareness, strengthened survivor support services, targeted tech innovations like the GBV Dashboard (by UNFPA Nigeria) which aggregate reports from local governments and NGOs to monitor trends and guide interventions and Kuram, an app for reporting GBV by TechHer.
While evidence-driven efforts in Nigeria have achieved significant progress, challenges remain. Limited data on marginalized groups like persons with disabilities, and cultural stigma still hinders accurate data collection on GBV. The path forward however is to expand data collection tools to reach underserved populations, strengthen partnerships between government, civil society, and international organizations for policy implementation and monitoring and increase investments in digital innovations and community-based research to enhance the scope and quality of data while ensuring that such data inform interventions going forward.
The 2024 Womanity Index supported by the Ford Foundation and will be launched on December 4 in Abuja to support policymakers and practitioners in their GBV prevention and response efforts.