When Will Abuse, Violence Against Women Stop?

Zainab Aderounmu

September 29, 2026

Everyday, women face walls and ceilings that continue to limit their participation in public society. Everyday women valiantly battle these walls and ceilings just for an opportunity to be recognised as equal contributors to the world. 

The sad part? Abuse and violence which could primarily be perpetrated in close proximity and physical spaces now follow women to intimate spaces through technology. Technology that ordinarily should make human lives better has created amplified avenues for abuse through technology facilitated gender abuse. 

I watched a video of a lady online where she confronted a man who had been physically following her for thirty minutes. He followed her from street to street, and when she noticed she was being followed, she confronted him. Interestingly, the only person who came to her aid was another woman. The other men were onlookers, by choice. But that was physically, for only thirty minutes. 

How about the woman or girl who gets stalked for weeks, even years, online? I know a friend who experienced such harassment for over three years. He kept changing phone numbers to call her, promising to take good care of her once she agreed to marry him. It became a mixture of verbal abuse and constant unwanted, unsolicited access. At some point, he tried to reach me, and the only thing I knew to do was block him across all platforms. Did he attempt to reach me with other accounts? Yes, and I kept blocking. But for how long do we want to keep blocking? 

When will the question change from ‘what did you do to get abused?’ to ‘why did that man abuse her?’ And when exactly would men be taught to leave women alone? You may think we sound like a broken record, but we sound that way because society is still broken, and women are left to gather the harmful broken pieces every time.

One in three women have been abused, and four in five face online harassment. Over 50 percent of adolescents globally will face some form of abuse, a staggering number being girls. And more sobering is the fact that the world is 171 years away from gender equality. The numbers are appalling, but they’re our lived reality. 

After I got physically assaulted on a bus, I got tired of being asked to learn how to defend myself. It is imperative, no doubt, but when will we ask men to stop assaulting women? That’s the actual question. 

September is the gender violence awareness month for the Lagos State Government, championed by the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic Violence Agency,  Titilola Vivour -Adeniyi. One is tempted to marvel at her tenacity and dedication to revolutionizing gender violence response in Lagos, but one must acknowledge her ability to stay level-headed even in the face of gory and worrisome stories she comes across daily. So yes, her passion is fuelled by anger, anger at what women still experience in society, despite contributing largely to society’s stability. 

If we began to measure how housewives and mothers contribute to GDP growth globally, we might begin to understand that gender pay gaps shouldn’t even exist because women literally ensure balance. 

But we must continue to speak of solutions and create awareness, until there’s nothing to create awareness on; until women don’t have to cross three streets just to ensure they’re not being followed; until women don’t have to block stalkers everywhere online; until women begin to feel safe and are actually safe. 

WILAN’s Nana AI chatbot is one of those solutions. It is a friendly, no-judgement tool that provides information and safety tools for women experiencing technology facilitated violence. Essentially, it helps women take action at the first signs of harassment. So if you’re experiencing any form of online abuse, please speak to Nana. She’ll guide you to response centers who would help. 

You ask “Why are there so many women organisations”? Because there are still too many issues besetting women. From pay gaps to violence, women still face too many walls and ceilings in society. That’s exactly why. 

About Author

Zainab Aderounmu A. W.

Zainab ADEROUNMU A. W. is a First Class graduate of English Language and the Overall Best Graduating Student from the Lagos State University, Lagos Nigeria. She’s a professional Master of Ceremonies, known as The Hijabi Compere , a public speaking coach and Communications Professional. She is currently a Youth advisor to the European Union where she doubles as the Spokesperson and Head of Communications & PR for the Youth Sounding Board.