Gender-Based Violence(GBV) is a human rights abuse that include a large variety of crimes committed like rape, sexual harassment, stalking, human trafficking, domestic abuse, female genital mutilation, and forced prostitution all based on one’s gender.

The incidence of Gender Based Violence (GBV) is growing rapidly in Nigeria. Victims of gender-based violence can be women, girls, boys, and men; but women and girls more vulnerable to it. Nearly 3 in 10 Nigerian women have experienced physical violence by age 15 (NDHS 2013).

In 2015, Nigerian senate passed its violence against person’s prohibition (VAPP) bill, which seeks to eliminate all of forms of gender-based violence. The bill seeks to eliminate or reduce to the minimum the occurrence of gender-based violence in the Nigerian society, protect the rights of Nigerians against violence, especially violence against women, address the gaps in current laws on violence in private and public spaces.

The most common acts of violence against women in Nigeria include female genital mutilation,  sexual harassment, physical violence, harmful traditional practices, emotional and psychological violence, socio-economic violence and violence against non-combatant women in conflict situation.

Globally, violence against men is very low compared to women, but the incidences are often not reported or neglected.