Nigeria, March 14 -- The 8th of March is International Women's Day (IWD), was celebrated this year under the theme "For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment." This theme emphasises the need for actions that unlock equal rights, power, and opportunities for all and envisions a feminist future where no one is left behind.

The 2025 IWD campaign theme is "Accelerate Action." This underscores the urgency of accelerating efforts to eliminate systemic barriers and biases that impede women's equality. And gender-based violence (GBV) is one area where action needs to be accelerated in order to protect the health of our women and girls.

Now, GBV refers to violence committed against any person on account of his or her sex or gender. ...