Nigeria, Feb. 2 -- Nearly every country in Africa has a law prohibiting violence against women and girls. Feminist movements have driven this incredible achievement, using their voices to spur governments to action and accountability. In West Africa, for example, advocates have worked tirelessly for an end to violence, insisting that rape is a national emergency and pioneering new approaches to keep women and girls safe online.

Yet, one in three women and girls continues to experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, with a woman or girl killed every 10 minutes by an intimate partner or close relative. A shockingly low level of investment in the prevention of gender-based violence (GBV) is certainly a driving factor of this...