Faces of Change: Portraits of Nigerian women working to end violence against girls
Lola leads the domestic and sexual violence services team in Lagos. In a city where domestic violence is rampant, Lola and her team are forced to deliver services from a cramped container office that is always full of women seeking support. Lola is a lawyer and she advises mothers on how to navigate a baffling system to seek justice and support for their children. Lola says that cases are always complex and the day we visited she was counseling a mother who had been ostracized from her church because she accused the pastor of raping her young girls, ages 6 and 7. Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, he denies the charges and Lola is helping the family move to a new community to avoid the anger of the loyal parishioners.
Aisha is a teacher in Sokoto province. She leads a program called Girls for Girls that helps them boost their confidence and articulate their dreams and ambitions. In a community where some leaders still question girls' education and many girls are married as children, Aisha says it’s important to be a role model for girls and give them the courage to aspire for more.
Carolyn is an activist working to end violence against women and girls. She set up Girls Voices which empowers girls by teaching them how to make films about their lives and the issues that concern them. Carolyn says violence always comes through as the number one issue for girls around the country. Her organization helps them produce short documentaries and then hosts screenings in communities where violence is endemic. She says the process breaks the silence and each screening is followed by dozens of girls coming forward, eager to share their story and join the movement.
Hannah is 17. She’s a youth ambassador for a grassroots organization that encourages girls to speak out about the violence they’ve experienced. Hannah says it’s a process that requires patience and persistence. ‘Most girls don’t want to talk about it right away,’ she says. ‘I come back again and again and then slowly they start to open up and tell me about what they’ve been through.’ Hannah gives them advice on who to speak to and refers cases to get support. It’s a model of frontline services and it’s led by youth who want to end violence.
Ayo is an activist who’s determined to end rape in Nigeria. She set up an organization called stand to end rape and works with survivors to provide legal advice and emotional support. Ayo says awareness and prevention are as important as services. She goes around the city speaking with students to break the silence on rape and foster a more constructive conversation about how girls can be empowered to stop this cycle of violence.
Flora leads the child protection network in Ebonyi state. She gets calls all the time about cases of child rape and other forms of violence against girls. In a very rural state, it’s not easy for her to reach remote villages when cases are reported. Her department is under resourced and she doesn’t have a vehicle to respond as quickly as she’d like. The police are using better techniques to protect the child as they investigate, but Flora says it’s important for her team to get to the village and provide extra support for the children.
Buky leads a non-profit organization ‘education as a vaccine’. While the genius of the development organization was to combat HIV and AIDS, Buky says the name is equally relevant when talking about violence against girls in Nigeria. Buky studied in the US and started her career there but felt compelled to return home and stand up for girls in her home country. She oversees projects that work to reduce violence against girls by building support and awareness in communities across the country.
Rashidat Mohammed is a Human Rights Lawyer with a special interest in promoting the rights of women and children.She provides pro-Bono legal services for women and girls who have experienced violence in northwest Nigeria. She also represents vulnerable men and families who can't afford a lawyer and are struggling to get justice in the Nigerian legal system. As a passionate lawyer on human rights issues, she is well known in Sokoto for her outspoken defence of women and girls and her fierce prosecution of rapists and pedophiles. She is the first and only woman to open her own law firm within Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States. In addition to her round the clock work as a lawyer and activist, Rashidat is also a single mother who is the sole caregiver to her 3 children.
Joy is a case worker at Mirabel rape crisis centre in Lagos. She’s on the frontline of the violence epidemic in Nigeria and helps families and survivors coping with unimaginable trauma. The day we visited, Joy was helping the mother of two girls, age 6 and 7. They’d been raped by the landlord's son only two weeks before. Joy helps the family through the byzantin legal process but also supports the children with critical services. At this vulnerable time, The family is being evicted after reporting the son for rape. Joy is helping them find a new place and encouraging the mother not to give up on pushing for justice.
Kulu is the director of the ministry of women’s affairs in sokoto state. She goes above and beyond to help girls who have been raped in their community. Families come to her and she uses her contacts to get them the right support; Sometimes it’s legal advice, medical treatment or psychological counseling. Kulu says each case is different and she responds to what the girl needs.
Aja Nwachukwu is a barrister in Abakaliki in southeast Nigeria. She’s the public prosecutor going after paedophiles in a region where there’s an epidemic of gender based violence and child rape. She has to build a solid case and push the legal system to move with more urgency for justice and tougher sentencing. She’s successfully convicted 26 men in the last years and never lost a case.
Philomina is a part of an activist group that is working to end female genital mutilation. The women patiently sit with male community leaders and explain the long-term health impacts women suffer as a result of ‘cutting’. They’re starting to change attitudes by getting leaders to speak out and stand with them against this violence. She and her fellow members say that birth control is a critical part of reducing violence against girls, so families aren’t over stretched trying to look after too many children. Philomina says that violence against girls will stop when women are valued and included in community leadership roles.
Abiola is the leader of a neighborhood watch program to keep girls safe in the Iwaya market in Lagos. It’s a tough part of a big city and attacks against girls were common for a few years. Abiola says things are changing. ‘Girls know they can come to me and I’ll help them,' she says. ‘But most of all, I get to know the girls and ensure they stay safe by avoiding dangerous places and bad situations.’ Abiola says it’s made a big difference for the girls, knowing there’s someone looking out for them.
Itoro runs the Mirabel rape crisis center in Lagos. For ten years the center has been an outpost of support victims of rape in a city where government services struggle to cope with the scale of the needs. Itoro was visited the rape crisis center in Manchester in the UK almost 20 years ago. She returned to Nigeria and battled the patriarchal bureaucracy for a decade before she realized her dream of helping rape survivors in her own country. Mirabel helps traumatized girls and their families with every part of the recovery, from medical exams to legal advice.
Hassanah works for the government in Sokoto to end trafficking of children. She’s a case worker who helps children who’ve been abducted and raped. Down the hall from her office is the shelter she helps run that provides refuge while the girls recover. She says it’s deeply satisfying when she rescues girls from violent situations and gets them back into school.
Josephine set up Project Alert more than 20 years ago in Lagos. She says at the time, very few people were talking about rape and even fewer were taking action. She’s been a pioneer on the issue and is deeply hearted by the progress and proliferation of allies. Joseaphine’s organization runs a safe house for women and helps them get on their feet. Despite progress in talking about violence, patriarchal norms mean that women who report their husbands for violence or family members for rape can face reprisals and even ostracization from their communities.
Khadijah is a lawyer and activist who works to help survivors of violence seek justice. Low-literacy, poverty and entrenched distrust of authorities make it hard for victims of violence to know where to start. Khadijah helps families navigate the confusing legal system and ensures they turn up to give testimony, building the case so more rapists are prosecuted.
Folouke has been an activist and advocate for change for more than 15 years. She’s worked on numerous projects to improve services for women and girls who’ve experienced violence. She now leads the Unicef’s work with spotlight initiative in Lagos, Nigeria’s biggest city. Her experience in the sector means that she knows the whole community of police, lawyers, activists and service providers. It’s experienced leaders like Folouke that will help spotlight bring people to amplify what’s working and protect more girls from rape and sexual assault.
Bose runs the Women’s Services Center in in Lagos. For more than 15 years, she’s been pushing against a culture of silence on rape and violence against women and girls. She’s convinced that the conversations have to happen at the grassroots in the communities, instead of conferences with politicians. In addition to providing a safe place and immediate services for rape survivors, Bose’s organization facilities discussions with community leaders and helps change attitudes about the impact and urgency of the rape issue. She says it’s a long and slow process but the results are satisfying and lasting. ´Leaders who were resistant have become our strongest allies in the effort to protect girls,´ she says.
all photos by Patrick Rose for UNICEF Nigeria, 2019