As the world marks the 2025 edition of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Africa’s sole representative on the newly-created United Nations Human Rights Council’s ‘Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas’, Professor Uche Ofodile of Nigeria, has disclosed that casualty figures capturing the victims of Gender Based Violence in the sub-region are rising and could be as high as 45%.

In her statement to mark the day, the renowned law scholar, therefore, enjoined governments in the continent to expand opportunities for women in agribusiness ownership and leadership in rural Africa as a way of curbing gender-based violence amongst women in rural communities.

According to her, as Africa moves beyond the Beijing Declaration, the Maputo Protocol, and the AU Convention, governments must usher in a new era that prioritizes implementation over rhetorics.

She says: “According to a recent study of GBV across 25 sub-Saharan African countries, a notable 44.94% of women reported experiencing at least one form of GBV, with the prevalence varying by country. As we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and the 26th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, I call on Africa and the world to move beyond symbolic commitments toward measurable and effective action. We owe it to our mothers, daughters, sisters, aunties, wives, and granddaughters to build a continent where every woman can live free from fear and violence.

“When Africa’s rural women are safe, empowered, and equipped, the continent benefits through increased agricultural productivity, strengthened food systems, and more equitable and sustainable development.

“Ending violence against women is not only a moral imperative, but also an economic necessity, a human rights obligation, and a foundational step toward unlocking Africa’s full potential.”

While urging Civil Society Organizations to speak boldly against harmful norms and practices towards this goal, she wants governments to urgently advance access to land, credit, and economic resources for rural women, enforce laws that prohibit violence in all forms, strengthen justice, health, and welfare systems, collect and use gender-disaggregated data, protect women in formal, informal, and digital workplaces from violence as well as establish rehabilitation, reporting, and rapid response mechanisms.

Ofodile, a renowned law professor, has served as advisor to United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD, on international investment policy reform.

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