NGO expands support for gender-based violence survivors

On Mar 15, 2025

An NGO, TechHer, says it is expanding support for Gender-Based Victims (SGBV) Emergency Response Fund (ERF) amidst rising cases in the country.

Chioma Agwuegbo, Executive Director, TechHer and Convener of the defunct State of Emergency GBV Movement, stated this in a statement issued in Abuja.

Agwuegbo said that the support was the NGO’s way of joining the world to commemorate the 2025 International Women’s Day.

She said that the rise in sexual and gender-based violence in Nigeria had reignited calls for urgent and sustained intervention.

The executive director said that, Document Our History (DOHS) Cares Foundation’s Femicide Observatory reports indicated that there was a 240 per cent increase in femicide cases tracked in January.

“Unfortunately, the figures reported by civil society organisations represent merely a fraction of the violence that women and girls endure due to poor documentation and a lack of trust in the system.

“TechHer, in collaboration with Education as a Vaccine (EVA), therefore, announces the expansion of its SGBV Emergency Response Fund (ERF).

“Launched in 2022, the fund provides emergency resourcing to cater to essential services for survivors, including access to justice, healthcare and psychosocial support for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and other forms of SGBV,” she said.

Agwuegbo said that sexual and gender-based violence remained a critical public health and social issue, with devastating consequences on women and girls.

She said ERF would address significant gaps in accessing justice, medical care and psychological support, ensuring that survivors received the comprehensive assistance they needed.

The executive director expressed the NGO’s commitment to tackling online gender-based violence through its KURAM platform, which aggregates and responds to technology-facilitated gender-based violence.

Speaking on the utility of the fund, the Executive Director, Education as a Vaccine, Toyin Chukwudozie, said it would fill the access to justice gap for survivors.

Chukwudozie stated that it would also provide emergency funding within a 24-48-hour window post approval of their applications for support.

The ERF Programmes Lead, Ajuma Drisu, said that the fund served as a rallying call for the government, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to intensify efforts for women and girls by advocating for and supporting survivors of violence.

“Providing adequate support is a crucial step in empowering survivors to escape abusive situations.

“We invite individuals and organisations nationwide to reach out as needed,” Drisu said.