Nigeria has introduced a nationwide reporting platform designed to track violence against women cases from initial reporting through investigation, prosecution and final justice outcomes.
The platform was developed by the Federal Ministry of Justice with support from the European Union programme on ending sexual and gender based violence and technical implementation by International IDEA.
It is intended to address weaknesses in case documentation, data coordination and monitoring across the justice system.
The initiative was unveiled in Abuja during a national validation and capacity building workshop.
Organisers described it as Nigeria’s first standardised justice sector reporting system dedicated to violence against women.
The platform will consolidate information from different states into a central database.
International IDEA specialist Melissa Omene said one of Bthe longstanding problems in responding to violence against women was that many cases became difficult to follow after the initial report.
An assessment involving institutions in the Federal Capital Territory, Benue, Kaduna and Oyo identified weaknesses in data coordination, evidence management, investigation and justice monitoring.
The National GBV Dashboard recorded 4,449 cases in the first half of 2023 and more than 19,000 since its introduction in 2020, according to figures presented at the event.
Federal Ministry of Justice official Yewande Gbola Awopetu said the usefulness of the system would depend heavily on the accuracy and consistency of information entered by designated officers.
She said each case update would contribute to a national evidence base for planning and accountability.
National Consultant Agharinma Ehiedu said institutions would be able to see how many cases were under investigation, pending trial or had resulted in convictions without contacting individual states separately.
Members of the public will also be able to submit reports, which will then be routed to the relevant state officers.
The platform is expected to connect information held across police, prosecutors, courts, human rights institutions, health facilities and social welfare systems.
Authorities also hope the system will expose delays and bottlenecks in investigation and prosecution.
For survivors, the effectiveness of the initiative will ultimately depend on whether improved case visibility leads to faster responses, stronger prosecutions and more reliable access to justice.
