By Justina Auta, News Agency of Nigeria, Abuja.

Associate Professor at the University of Florida, Dr. Anisah Ari, has harped on the need to shun rhetorics, and take firm actions aimed at protecting women against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

Ari made this known in a phone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday.

“We demand action that bites; budgetary commitments, enforcement mechanisms and accountability that saves lives,” she said.

She noted that sustained commitment from government, strong enforcement mechanisms, as well as increased funding, were all critical tools for tackling the vice.

According to her, the 2025 global theme for the 16 Days Activism Against GBV, tagged: “Unite to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls,” is a reminder that safety and dignity have moved beyond physical spaces into the digital realm.

She said that the prevalence of GBV, now amplified by tech-facilitated abuses such as cyberstalking, image-based exploitation and online harassment, silences women digitally, just as violence does offline.

She cited the 2025 Nigerian Gender Watch, which revealed that femicide claims three to four women every week, child marriage persists, and 71 per cent of women lacked autonomy over their health decisions.

“And in a digital age, connectivity remains a privilege, not a right; These numbers scream one truth, laws without action are void promises.

“In 2025, we should not be negotiating the dignity of human beings, no matter their gender.

“These rights are not optional; 16 days of activism cannot remain a ritual of hashtags and hollow speeches, but a reckoning,” she said

Ari noted that the 2025 Global Gender Gap Report, had ranked Nigeria 124th out of 148 countries in gender equality, inspite of the enactment of laws and policies like the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, the Cybercrimes Act among others.

She, consequently, harped on the need for stringent measures to be put in place, to fight the menace of GBV.

NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA