As the world observes the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria has expressed deep concern on the growing insecurity and targeted abductions of girls and vulnerable children across the country.
The safety of Nigerian girls, especially those without parental care, is facing a serious threat. What started as a crisis has now turned into a national emergency. Streets and schools are no longer safe. The digital space, which should provide learning and connection, has become a platform for exploitation, abuse, and fear.
Eghosa Erhumwunse, the national director SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria in a message made available to newsmen on Monday, titled, “Nowhere Is Safe: SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria Sounds Alarm on Rising Abductions and Digital Violence Against Girls During 16 Days of Activism 2025” noting that for over a decade, Nigeria has seen a troubling increase in school and community abductions.
“More than 1,680 children have been forcibly taken, and recent incidents bring that number close to 2,500. Each abduction is not only a crime; it shows the failure of our child protection systems. It reminds us that the nation’s youngest and most vulnerable children are increasingly at risk. For those lacking stable parental care, the danger is even greater. They are less protected, less sought after, less heard, and too often forgotten. Such attacks harm families, disrupt education, and strip children of safety, continuity, and hope”, he said.
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He noted, “However, physical violence is just one part of this escalating crisis. Nigeria is now facing another major issue: digital violence. Recent research reveals that 68.9 million Nigerians, nearly half of the country’s active internet users, suffer online harm, including cyberbullying, impersonation, exploitation, and abuse. Alarmingly, 58 percent of these harms mainly target women and girls. Nigeria’s ranking as the fifth-highest cybercrime hotspot worldwide highlights how serious this problem is. Behind each manipulated image, hateful comment, threat, or non-consensual content is a real person, often a girl, whose dignity, identity, and mental well-being are violated.
“The combination of physical abductions and digital exploitation has a disproportionate effect on children without parental care, the group that SOS Children’s Villages aims to protect. For these children, trauma from loss now mixes with threats from online predators, grooming, identity misuse, and digital sexual exploitation. The vulnerabilities that once made them targets in the physical world are now exploited in the digital sphere, where some are groomed, trafficked through screens, and dehumanised for profit. A country that fails to protect its children, both offline and online, risks its future security, stability, development, and moral standing”, according to him.
He further explained that SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria firmly states that digital violence is real violence, and abduction is not an isolated crime, it shows deeper failures in child protection. “As a child-centered organisation with decades of experience supporting those at risk of losing parental care, we call for immediate, coordinated, and unwavering national actions.
“The full enforcement of the Child Rights Law, the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, and the newly launched Alternative Care Guidelines must happen in every state.
“Digital violence needs to be officially recognised and included in national security, protection, and gender-based violence reporting systems.
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“Schools must be secured as safe places for learning. Online spaces need regulation and monitoring with real accountability. Survivors should be protected, and perpetrators must face justice.
“We urge the Federal and State Governments to declare the protection of women and vulnerable children a national security priority. We ask law enforcement agencies to pursue and prosecute abductors and digital predators without delay. We call on legislators to fix legal gaps that allow technology-facilitated violence. We want technology companies to take responsibility for the harm happening on their platforms and prioritise child safety over profits. We call on religious, traditional, and community leaders to break the culture of silence and advocate for every child’s rights. Finally, we encourage all Nigerians, parents, teachers, neighbours, and citizens to step up as protectors, reporters, and advocates, not bystanders.
“This is not just a gender issue; it is not only a children’s issue. It is a national, moral, security, and development crisis, and it requires immediate action and unity.
“During these 16 Days of Activism, SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria stands firm: We will advocate. We will protect. We will tirelessly work until every child, especially those without parental care, can live, learn, and dream in safety”, the statement read.
