FG to Establish GBV Safe Spaces in All 774 LGAs Amid Rising Abuse Cases

The Federal Government has announced plans to establish dedicated safe spaces in all 774 Local Government Areas of the country as part of efforts to strengthen protection and support services for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV).

Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the ministry, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and the New Era Foundation.

She explained that the initiative forms a key component of the National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence currently being developed to improve access to care, protection, and justice for survivors nationwide.

According to the minister, the safe spaces will provide immediate support, referral services, and protection for survivors within their communities, thereby decentralising access to critical intervention services.

She further revealed that the Federal Government is working towards establishing regional mega-protection centres that will offer integrated medical, legal, psychosocial, and rehabilitation services under one roof.

To ensure wider reach, especially in underserved communities, Sulaiman-Ibrahim said mobile support teams would be deployed through the “Women on Wheels” initiative to provide trauma-informed care, psychosocial support, and other essential services to women and girls.

Expressing concern over the rising incidence of GBV in the country, the minister disclosed that 2,755 cases of gender-based violence and intimate partner violence were recorded between January and April 2026, representing an average of 23 reported cases daily.

She noted that women and girls accounted for more than 81 per cent of documented survivors, while sexual violence constituted 82 per cent of reported cases.

The minister lamented that only four per cent of formally reported cases resulted in successful prosecution, describing the situation as a clear indication of the need for stronger protection and accountability mechanisms.

“This is a wake-up call. We must move beyond prevention to protection, rehabilitation, and access to justice for survivors,” she said.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim added that the partnership with NPHCDA and the New Era Foundation would serve as a practical intervention to strengthen the country’s GBV response framework.

Speaking at the event, Chief Executive Officer of NPHCDA, Dr. Muyi Aina, described gender-based violence as both a public health and human rights challenge, noting that survivors often suffer physical injuries, psychological trauma, and long-term social consequences.

He said the collaboration would improve access to healthcare, counselling, legal support, rehabilitation, and empowerment opportunities for survivors.

Also speaking, Trustee of the New Era Foundation, Patricia Otuedon-Arawore, said the foundation’s Patients’ Home in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State, would serve as a rehabilitation centre for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence.

She explained that the facility, originally established to support vulnerable women through temporary shelter and empowerment programmes, is being repositioned to provide safety, healing, rehabilitation, and reintegration opportunities for survivors.

Earlier, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Dr. Esuabana Nko-Asanye, stressed the importance of collaboration among government institutions, development partners, and civil society organisations in strengthening protection systems for vulnerable women and girls.

She noted that no single institution could effectively tackle the challenge alone and called for sustained partnerships to improve access to protection, rehabilitation, and justice services across the country.

Stakeholders at the event pledged to deepen collaboration towards enhancing support systems for survivors and other vulnerable groups nationwide.