Advocates push for justice reform to protect women

Stakeholders and gender advocates have called for a fundamental redesign of Nigeria’s justice landscape to ensure it effectively serves women and girls, particularly survivors of gender-based violence.

The call was made during a Ford Foundation dialogue held on the sidelines of the CSW70 in New York, United States.

The dialogue focused on the effectiveness of Nigeria’s plural justice system and highlighted that Nigeria’s legal framework—comprising statutory, customary, and religious systems—often leaves gaps that allow survivors to fall through the cracks due to high costs, slow processes, and restrictive cultural norms.

Speaking at the event, the Dein of Agbor, Obi Benjamin Ikenchukwu Keagboruzi, noted that economic barriers like court fees and transportation costs often push formal justice out of reach for women, forcing them to rely on customary systems that may not always protect them.

Justice Bukunola Adebiyi of the Lagos State High Court also emphasised that laws alone could not guarantee justice.

She stressed the need to strengthen investigation and evidence-gathering processes to ensure cases did not fail before reaching judgment.

The Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs, and Social Development in Enugu State, Ngozi Enih, shared her perspective as a survivor and policymaker.

She explained that many families withdrew cases because the perpetrator was often the breadwinner, stating, “Justice competes with survival—and too often, survival wins.”

Executive Director of WACOL, Prof Joy Ezeilo (SAN), who moderated the session, argued that Nigeria’s plural legal system should be shaped to ensure all platforms evolve toward a single standard of dignity and equality.

The Regional Director for West Africa at the Ford Foundation, Dr ChiChi Aniagolu-Okoye, concluded that the future of justice for Nigerian women lies at the intersection of courts, communities, and cultures, designed with the lived realities of women at the centre.