Protecting women and educating girls accelerates peace in Nigeria’s crises

Gender-based violence does not happen in isolation. It grows in places where systems are weak, where services are broken, and where communities have been pushed to the margins because of conflict and displacement. Violence against women sadly happens in all societies but often becomes pervasive in areas of conflict and disaster.

This is the reality in many parts of Nigeria today, especially in the northeast, where millions of people still depend on humanitarian assistance to survive.

When a crisis lasts this long, women and girls carry the heaviest weight. They are often deprived of their most basic rights afforded to them through domestic law, international human rights law and international humanitarian law. They lose access to school, to healthcare, to protection, to income, to dignity. This affects their chances of survival and a fulfilling life. The risks facing them multiply with every passing day. Societal attitudes, accentuated in conflict, make them more vulnerable to sexual and gender-based violence.

This is why the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is not simply a global moment.

For Nigeria, it is a reminder of the urgent work that remains unfinished.

In Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, families have lived through more than a decade of conflict. Entire communities have been uprooted. Children have lost years of schooling. Women have lost their livelihoods. With insecurity, poverty, and displacement woven together, the risk of violence against women and girls has risen sharply. These are environments where harmful norms thrive because opportunities are scarce and support systems are weak. In some places, the rule of law is often non-existent.

But we have also seen, time and again, that when girls are in school and when women have agency, protection improves.

Read also: FG urged to put in place stronger policies to protect women, curb gender-based violence

Education is one of the most powerful deterrents of gender-based violence. A girl who stays in school is more aware of her rights. She is less likely to be pushed into early marriage. She is more likely to survive, to speak up, to sustain herself and her family and more likely to shape her own future. The connection is direct, not theoretical.

Humanitarian programmes that focus only on material support and survival are not enough. Education must be treated as a lifesaving intervention and not a luxury. In crisis settings, a classroom is not just a place to learn. It is a safe space. It provides protection. It is stability. It is often the only shield a girl has against the risks around her.

The same applies to women. When women are empowered to make decisions about their health, their income, and their families, communities recover faster. Children are healthier. Households are more resilient. And the cycle of dependence that fuels vulnerability begins to break. Women’s empowerment is not a slogan. It is a recovery strategy. Women’s rights are human rights.

This is why the humanitarian response in Nigeria must place girls’ education and women’s leadership at the centre. Rebuilding schools, strengthening teacher capacity, restoring health services, expanding livelihood programmes, and improving access to justice are not parallel tracks. They are one connected path that reduces the likelihood of violence and increases the ability of communities to stand on their own. When we fail to provide these services, we leave women and girls exposed.

Over the years, led by the government, partners have stood firmly with Nigeria. The European Union, Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway, the United States, Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, and others have invested heavily in programmes that bring education, protection, and essential services to women and girls in conflict-affected regions. Their support has rebuilt classrooms, scaled safe spaces, trained caseworkers, strengthened referral pathways, and expanded prevention work across communities.

These investments have shown what works. Girls who return to school are less at risk. Women who have livelihoods are less dependent. Communities with functioning services report fewer cases of violence. The evidence is clear. When we invest in women and girls, violence goes down, stability goes up, and futures change.

As we mark the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the message is simple. Nigeria cannot win the fight against gender-based violence without strengthening the humanitarian response, restoring essential services, and expanding access to education for women and girls. These are not separate priorities. They are the backbone of protection.

Ending violence is a critical mission that we must all support to succeed. It needs investment, political will, and collective commitment. It needs families, leaders, communities, and institutions working together. And it requires that we value every woman and girl not as a victim of crisis, but as a partner in rebuilding her community.

We have a long way to go. Many children are still becoming mothers. Far too many women are dying during childbirth and are subject to violence. A country grows stronger when its women are safe. It grows even stronger when its girls and women are educated. Our efforts during these 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence can only be achieved when women and girls are treated as equal. Every day should be a day we advocate for an end to violence and equal rights.

Trond Jensen is the outgoing Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Nigeria.

Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date