Submission ID 131862
| Issue/Objective | Gender-based violence (GBV) affects nearly one in three women globally, with increasing prevalence in Nigeria. Despite this burden, delayed reporting is common, and its impact on survivors' willingness to seek justice remains unclear. This study investigates whether the timing of GBV reporting influences survivors' consent to take further action in Nigeria. |
|---|---|
| Methodology/Approach | This is a cross-sectional study analysis that utilized the Gender and Human Rights (GHR) intervention implemented by Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (NEPWHAN) across all the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Nigeria. The analysis included 21,610 cases reported via Community Rights Advocates or self-reporting mechanisms. Descriptive, chi-square, and multilevel regression were carried out. Results are presented as frequencies, percentages, and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. |
| Results | This study revealed that the highest prevalence of consent to take further action occurred after a month (33.10%), the duration taken before a case was reported was higher in the first week (56.37%) with 72.59% of the respondents in Nigeria consented to take further action. Those with duration before reporting after a month [aOR=0.77, 95% CI=0.71-0.83] and those with duration before reporting from day 8 to day 30 [aOR=0.79, 95% CI=0.72-0.85] had lower odds of consent to take further action. Respondents who were female [aOR=1.11, 95% CI=1.02-1.20], those who were transgender [aOR=3.40, 95% CI=2.12-5.47], those who lived in North West [aOR=2.16, 95% CI=1.96-2.38], and those whose case category was high risk [aOR=1.76, 95% CI=1.61-1.92] had higher odds of consent to take further action. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | This research revealed relatively high of 72.59% consent to further action in Nigeria. Female sex, transgender identity, North West residence, and high-risk cases were associated with higher consent odds. These findings establish reporting timeliness as a critical determinant of survivors' engagement with formal response systems. Inventions should be focused on the promotion of early GBV reporting through community awareness campaigns, survivor-centred pathways, strengthened confidential services, and digital reporting platforms. Also, stakeholders must also address structural and socio-cultural barriers that delay disclosure, while leveraging community-based and digital tools to enhance timely access to care and justice. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | EUGENE BUDU University of Waterloo Miriam Bathnna Institute of Human Virology Nigeria Hasiya Bello Raji Institute of Human Virology Nigeria Opeyemi Adebayo Institute of Human Virology Nigeria Aderonke Agbaje Institute of Human Virology Nigeria Patrick Dakum Institute of Human Virology Nigeria Abdulhamid Ibrahim Institute of Human Virology Nigeria Margaret Zamzu Institute of Human Virology Nigeria Ebenezer Kwesi Armah-Ansah University of Waterloo Charity Oga-Omenka University of Waterloo |
