"NO MORE SILENCE" PLATEAU STATE FIRST LADY SPEAKS OUT AS PLATEAU STATE MARKS THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN CONFLICT.

In Jos, the Plateau State capital, a solemn but resolute gathering marked the 2025 International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict — an annual reminder of the enduring toll of war on the most vulnerable.

At the centre of the commemoration was the First Lady of Plateau State, who led calls for urgent, coordinated action to protect victims and hold perpetrators to account. Her presence, alongside survivors, policy-makers, and humanitarian actors, underscored the growing recognition that sexual violence is not merely a by-product of conflict — but often a deliberate weapon of war.

Themed “Breaking the Cycle, Healing the Scars: Addressing the Intergenerational Effects of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence,” the event explored how violence reverberates beyond the battlefield — scarring bodies, communities, and generations to come.

In a compelling keynote paper, Professor Funmi Para-Mallam, MNI, examined the long shadow cast by conflict-related sexual violence. She spoke of survivors often silenced by stigma, of children born of rape navigating fractured identities, and of the institutional gaps that allow such atrocities to continue unchecked.

The most searing testimonies came from women in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, who shared stories of abuse, exploitation, and abandonment. Their words — raw, urgent, and painful — gave voice to a crisis too often spoken of in statistics rather than lived experience.

In response, the First Lady pledged deeper collaboration with the Ministry of Women Affairs to strengthen protection systems for women and girls in displacement. “These stories must move us beyond empathy to action,” she said. “We owe survivors more than compassion — we owe them justice, healing, and safety.”

The event drew a wide cross-section of stakeholders, including representatives from security agencies, civil society, traditional councils, and healthcare providers. Their collective presence signalled a shared determination to confront a crime that thrives in silence and impunity.

As the international community observes this day, Plateau State’s initiative stands as both a reckoning and a rallying cry. True justice, participants agreed, lies not only in punishing perpetrators — but in restoring dignity, voice, and agency to survivors.

For a region long affected by instability, the message from Jos was clear: ending sexual violence in conflict is not just a moral imperative — it is a cornerstone of lasting peace.