The United Nations Children’s Fund said on Wednesday that violence against girls and women was still common in Nigeria despite the gains achieved in education globally.

This was contained in a new report released by the global agency and tagged, ‘A new era for girls: Taking stock on 25 years of progress.

The report said, “As the world gets set to mark 25 years since the historic Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action to advance women’s and girl’s rights, UNICEF today warned that much more needs to be done to protect the rights of Nigerian girls, particularly from violence.

“Globally, one in every 20 adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years – around 13 million – has experienced forced sex, one of the most violent forms of sexual abuse women and girls can suffer.

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“In Nigeria, one in four girls has suffered sexual violence. Yet, very few of them seek professional help, preferring to keep their abuse secret. In Nigeria, only two per cent of girls aged 15 to 19 years who ever experienced forced sex sought help from professionals.

UNICEF Nigeria Representative, Peter Hawkins, noted that it was vital for action to be urgently taken to reverse the trend in the Nigerian society.

He said, “But there are things we can do to change this, and we need to do them urgently. We need to invest in protection services and support programmes that give survivors of violence an opportunity to speak up and to heal.

“We need to work with local communities to change practices that make women and girls vulnerable to violence and abuse. And we need to speak to our children – girls and boys – to ensure they grow up knowing that such violence is unacceptable. Together, we can end violence against women and girls, and this is long overdue.”

The UNICEF report added that despite the ongoing violence, some remarkable gains had been recorded globally in the 25 years since the Beijing Declaration.

It however stated that the same could not be said of Nigeria, especially in the North-East area of the country.

Quoting its Executive Director, Henrietta Fore, UNICEF said,

“Globally, more girls are going to school and staying in school than ever before – though in Nigeria, there is still a long way to go to ensure equality of education for girls, especially in the North-East, where 60 per cent of out-of-school girls in Nigeria are located.

“Twenty-five years ago, the world’s governments made a commitment to women and girls, but they have only made partial good on that promise. While the world has mustered the political will to send many girls to school, it has come up embarrassingly short on equipping them with the skills and support they need not only to shape their own destinies, but to live in safety and dignity.”

The report added that in Nigeria, about 19.9 million girls have experienced Female Genital Mutilation with 43 per cent of girls married before their 18th birthday and 17 per cent before they turn 15.