Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi,
Facebook, January 2024
Experts from different divides have demanded increased awareness, legal backing, and improved access to reproductive health services, especially Safe Termination of Pregnancy (STOP), to tackle the alarming rates of gender-based violence, unsafe abortion, and maternal mortality.
The call was made in Abeokuta yesterday during a high-level roundtable meeting with policymakers on the possible legal framework of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in Ogun State.
Speaking at the event, Founder of the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Abiola Afolabi, disclosed that gender-based violence (GBV) remains a pervasive issue across all regions of Nigeria, not just the northern part. “We have what we call the sexual assault referral centre. In most places where sexual assault referral centres are, they don’t have enough funding to be able to support the response that we expect, and police have not also been cooperating enough.” She stated that Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, second only to India, and attributed a significant percentage to unsafe abortion practices.
She further urged policymakers and government to take urgent steps in addressing the ugly trend of women dying unnecessarily. “That’s why Ogun State has passed guidelines, so we do hope it’s effective for them. The guidelines are not only talking about rape and incest, but also about other circumstances where the abortion of pregnancy becomes necessary — for example, if a woman has cancer, diabetes, or some other issues that could become a threat to that pregnancy.”
The Ogun State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Adijat Adeleye, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Adejumoke Adewole, said the state had adopted the STOP policy to provide a legal framework for access to safe termination services.
Adewole added that there is a need to escalate awareness and ensure that the STOP policy receives legislative backing, stressing that such action would give it legal status and allow the law to protect women and girls, especially in cases involving rape and incest.
“That’s why Ogun State has passed guidelines, so we do hope it’s effective for them. The guidelines are not only talking about rape and incest, but also about other circumstances where the abortion of pregnancy becomes necessary — for example, if a woman has cancer, diabetes, or some other issues that could become a threat to that pregnancy.”
SOURCE: The Guardian Nigeria, by Azeez Olorunlomeru, 8 July 2025.