By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
Legal experts, technology advocates, and human rights defenders have called for a deeper integration of digital innovation into Nigeria’s justice system to ensure stronger protection and enforcement of women’s rights, reports thegazellenews.com
This call was made at The Bar Centre, Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja Branch during FIBA’s Law week/ Annual General Meeting.
Delivering her remarks at the opening session, Dr. Okwuchi Chima-Agbara noted that the theme,
“Enforcing Women”s Rights Through Technology and Legal Frameworks,” was intentionally crafted to chart a modern pathway for strengthening justice delivery for women and children.
According to her, technology now carries the power to expand access to education, amplify marginalized voices, and reinforce legal protections—especially in a society where cultural norms often sustain gender inequality. She emphasized that FIDA’s six-decade-long advocacy continues to inspire reforms and community actions that defend vulnerable groups.
Meanwhile, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, highlighted the transformative role of simple and complex technologies—from mobile phones to digital gender-based-violence reporting platforms and virtual courtrooms—in bridging long-standing gaps in access to justice.
“Technology equips us to reach women and children who would otherwise remain unheard,” she said. “Yet technology alone is insufficient. It must work hand-in-hand with strong legal frameworks and the willpower of those who enforce them.”
She praised FIDA members for their courage across courtrooms, shelters, police stations, and communities, describing them as “the backbone of grassroots legal enforcement.”
Connecting the discussions to International Human Rights Day, Badejo-Okusanya reminded participants that dignity, justice, and fairness are everyday essentials.
Empowering women, she said, ultimately strengthens families, communities, and the nation.
Taking the dialogue further, Tech Lawyer and Human Rights Advocate, Emmanuel Igbagbolere Fashola, delivered an impassioned address on the future of justice in a digital world.
He described the gap between rights written on paper and rights experienced in daily life, stressing that enforcement must evolve with the times.
“A right that cannot be enforced is merely a beautifully written apology,” he warned. “The future of justice is digital, data-driven, and woman-centered.”
Fashola rooted his argument in the Rule of Law principle and Amartya Sen’s Capability Theory, noting that rights only become valuable when people have the means to exercise them. Technology, he said, now defines the speed, reach, and possibility of justice.
Across the world, he explained, countries are using digital tools to strengthen women’s rights—from online protection orders in the United States, to AI-driven crime tracking in India, to mobile courts and gender desks across East Africa.
“Nigeria can leapfrog,” he insisted, “if we combine legal reform with technological innovation.”
He listed emerging global trends such as: AI evidence analysis for detecting patterns of abuse, blockchain-secured digital evidence virtual courts, MyMobile justice applications, and National gender data hubs for tracking enforcement outcomes.
“Technology will not replace lawyers,” he added. “But lawyers who use technology will replace those who do not—especially in women’s rights enforcement.”
Turning to the Nigerian landscape, Fashola acknowledged gains such as the domestication of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, wider acceptance of digital evidence, and recent high-profile GBV convictions.
However, he noted that gaps remain, citing low conviction rates, under-resourced police gender desks, and the surge in online harassment cases.
He called for smart protection orders, AI-powered case management, and one-stop digital justice portals to close existing loopholes.
“Nigeria must stop treating technology as a luxury and start deploying it as an enforcement weapon,” he stated.
The speakers agreed that legal aid—traditionally limited by geography and resources—must be digitally reimagined to reach every woman who needs help, especially in underserved communities.
