DELTA State’s declaration of zero tolerance for violence against women during the 2025 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence marks a decisive step forward in confronting and dismantling the culture of female-targeted abuse.
Speaking at the rally marking the launch of the campaign, First Lady, Dcns Tobore Oborevwori affirmed the 100 per cent commitment of her office to eradicating the menace in Delta State.
Meanwhile, at a press conference marking the same launch, state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Community and Social Development, Hon. Princess Pat Ajudua drew a line in the sand, declaring that the State will adopt a zero-tolerance posture toward digital hostility targeting women and girls in line with this year’s theme “Unite To End Digital Violence Against All Women And Girls.”
Violence has merely migrated from the alleyway to the smartphone screen. According to the United Nations Women, 38 per cent of women globally have experienced online violence, and in Africa, nearly one in two women report facing cyber-harassment, stalking, threats or non-consensual image sharing.
Nigeria is not an outlier; in fact, the country has recorded an alarming spike in revenge pornography, impersonation, digital blackmail and cyberbullying, with young women disproportionately targeted.
We agree with Hon. Ajudua as she captured this blunt reality when she noted that “digital violence is real violence.” We also asserts that the psychological harm is real. The reputational damage is real. The blackmail is real. The suicides linked to leaked sex tapes are real. This is precisely why the state’s strategy, tightened policies, digital literacy, community structures and cross-sector partnerships, is not just timely but operationally smart.
However, policy is only as strong as its enforcement, and this is where Delta State’s posture becomes crucial. During a sensitisation outreach in Ubulu-Uno, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs Oghenekevwe Agas, dismantled some of the tired cultural excuses that have long shielded abusers. Her message was unambiguous: “There is no justification whatsoever for violence… A single act can cost 14 years in jail”, adding that the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law leaves little room for manipulation.
By integrating the national sexual offenders register, the state ensures that once an offender is listed, they are permanently exposed. This is a punishment for deviants and perpetrators of violence against women and girls.
Still, one operational gap remains: the reluctance of victims to speak up. Studies by the World Bank show that less than 40 per cent of survivors of gender-based violence seek help, largely due to stigma, fear, and distrust of authorities. And this silence, as one stakeholder put it, keeps “everything we are doing in futility.” Until victims trust the system enough to report, predators will continue to innovate faster than policy reform.
Another frontier we cannot ignore is the entertainment media. Nollywood, skit makers, digital storytellers, they shape perceptions faster than government memos. Yet they consistently glamorise narratives where abusers walk free, and victims are mocked. If storytellers can mainstream dysfunction, they should also mainstream consequences.
On their part, law enforcement must stop playing both sides of the table. Reports of officers compromising cases after inducements are not just operational failures; they destroy public trust. If digital violence and all other forms of violence against women must decline, the police must eliminate “backdoor interpretations” of justice.
While we are impressed that Delta State is demonstrating leadership, it is necessary to point out that leadership only scales when society backs it with courage. Therefore, women must be cautious online. Communities must stop shielding abusers. Regulators must enforce. Tech actors must collaborate. And victims, when supported, protected, and believed, should speak out.
