The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) FCT Council, Comrade Grace Ike, has called for decisive collective action to end gender-based violence, including the growing threat of digital abuse, as the world observe the 2025 edition of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
Ike, the first female chairman in the NUJ FCT Council’s 43-year history, drew on her personal experience of harassment during the 2024 NUJ FCT election to highlight the urgent need for societal and institutional intervention. She emphasized that online abuse should be treated with the same seriousness as physical violence.
“This year’s campaign, under the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE theme ‘End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls’, reminds us that violence against women and girls remains a serious human rights violation,” Ike said. She described how targeted harassment during the election period reinforced her resolve to fight all forms of abuse, both online and offline.
The campaign underscored that one in three women globally experience gender-based violence, with women in public-facing roles—journalists, activists, and young women being particularly vulnerable to digital attacks. Ike stressed that such violence affects victims’ health, dignity, and freedom, while weakening the social fabric of communities.
Ike called on all stakeholders to report abuse, challenge cultural norms perpetuating inequality, and create safe spaces in homes, workplaces, and online platforms. She highlighted the media’s critical role in amplifying survivors’ voices and ensuring accountability, pledging that the NUJ FCT Council would actively champion the cause throughout the year.
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence run annually from November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) to December 10 (International Human Rights Day), linking the fight against gender-based violence to the broader struggle for human rights.
Comrade Ike was elected unopposed and sworn in alongside other executive members: Yahaya Ndambabo (Vice Chairman, Voice of Nigeria), Jide Oyekunle (Secretary, Independent Newspaper), and Sandra Udeike (Treasurer, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria), who are serving a three-year term in the FCT.
