Prostitutes on duty
For 30-year-old Jane Matthew (not her real name), the scars of the past are a living cycle. A survivor of sexual violence at age 20, Jane recently recounted in tears how history has cruelly repeated itself: her 10-year-old daughter has now fallen victim to the same trauma.
Jane’s story is a harrowing testament to a pervasive vulnerability shared by thousands of Nigerian women, from those surviving domestic abuse to those lured by the false promise of a better life abroad.
As Nigeria navigates 2026, a landmark federal budget increase has placed the Ministry of Women Affairs at the “front burner” of national discourse. However, experts argue that without structural and legal shifts, the N154.3 billion allocation remains just a figure on paper.
The Fiscal Leap vs. The Implementation Gap
In a significant policy shift, the 2026 federal budget saw a 97% increase in the allocation for the Ministry of Women Affairs, rising to N154.3 billion. While the capital infusion is historic, the “Domestication Gap” remains a formidable barrier.
The Domestication Gap
Despite ratifying the Maputo Protocol (the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa) over two decades ago, Nigeria has yet to fully weave its protections into national law. This legal vacuum leaves survivors like Jane without a clear path to justice, often trapped in a system that prioritizes reconciliation over retribution.
Frontline Perspectives: The Faces of Trafficking
The crisis extends beyond domestic walls to the dark corridors of human trafficking. Rev. Sister Justina Nelson of the Religious Sisters of Charity (RSC), who rehabilitates survivors across Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Delta State, highlights a “double tragedy.”
“Perpetrators prey on those brought to work as maids, some of whom have been trafficked without even being aware,” Sister Nelson told Politicaleconomistng. “The magnitude of the impact on this vulnerable group is immeasurable.”
One survivor narrated a chillingly common path: promised a lucrative job in Europe, she was instead diverted and exploited in Burkina Faso. She never saw the Mediterranean, let alone the “promised land.”
These accounts are not isolated incidents; they are the human faces of a systemic crisis.
A call for structural change
The Roadmap: Three Pillars for Reform
The Justice Development and Peace Centre (JDPC), Lagos and other gender experts at a symposium outlined three-pronged strategy to ensure the 2026 budget translates into tangible safety:
Geopolitical Shelters: Establishing at least one fully equipped, specialized safe haven in each of the six geopolitical zones to provide immediate counseling and protection.
Educational Integration: Reforming national curricula to dismantle the patriarchal sentiments and “sexually pervasive culture” that allow rights violations to go unchecked.
Budgetary Transparency: Ensuring that the N150 billion capital allocation is not just approved but “cash-backed” and funneled toward grassroots sensitization and personnel training who work directly with victims.
The Statistics of Silence
Data from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) underscores the urgency. In May 2025 alone, the commission recorded 3,361 cases of domestic violence and 1,152 incidents of sexual violence nationwide.
Experts warn these figures are the tip of the iceberg. Stigma and institutional barriers ensure that for every Jane Matthew who speaks out, hundreds remain in the shadows.
A Demand for a “Living Shield”
As Nigeria moves through the 2026 fiscal year, the demand from survivors is clear. They do not want sympathy or figures on paper. They want a country where the Maputo Protocol acts as a living shield, a Nigeria where a 10-year-old girl can grow up without inheriting the trauma of her mother.
Reporting by Theresa Igata (Senior Correspondent)
