Abuja: The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Ikeja Branch, on Friday, described technology as a vital tool for advancing the rights of women and children in society. The branch said this at its 2025 Law Week, tagged, ‘From Paper to Power: Enforcing Women’s Rights Through Technology and Legal Frameworks’.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, in her welcome address, Chairperson of the Law Week, Mrs. Uchechi Erugo, stated that globally, women’s rights have increasingly moved beyond mere written commitments to enforceable actions, driven by innovation and advocacy. She emphasized that modern justice systems must integrate digital tools to strengthen accountability, evidence gathering, and legal protection. Erugo also noted that technology had taken on a new dimension in promoting justice, equity, and protection of the vulnerable.
Laws on paper are not enough because effective enforcement must be modern, sustainable, and technology-supported, Mrs. Erugo stated. This year’s theme was crafted to challenge legal professionals and stakeholders to rethink how justice is delivered in an age when abuse is often facilitated or hidden through digital means. When we combine strong legal frameworks with innovative tech, that is when we truly move our action from paper to power, she said.
In her goodwill message, Country Vice President of FIDA, Mrs. Eliana Martins, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to deploying technology to expand women’s rights and reduce barriers to justice. Martins said that the law week, being a longstanding tradition, provides a platform to deepen engagement with emerging rights issues, professional growth, and collective action. It is heartwarming that this year’s conversation promises to continue in this direction and even dive deeper toward the possibility of using modern technology as a tool or driver to the actualization of women’s rights. For over six decades, FIDA Nigeria has been consistent in campaigns promoting, protecting, and preserving the rights of women and children. Technology now offers greater reach and effectiveness, she said.
Martins urged participants to maximize the opportunities presented by the law week, to improve strategies and strengthen enforcement mechanisms that protect women and girls from violence and abuse. In his keynote address, a Tech Lawyer, Mr. Emmanuel Fashola, stated that the future of justice is digital, data-driven, and woman-centered. Fashola noted that various 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 and mobile courts and gender desks across East Africa.
Nigeria can leapfrog if we combine legal reform with technological innovation. Technology will not replace lawyers, but lawyers who use technology will replace those who do not, especially in women’s rights enforcement, he said. On the Nigerian landscape, he acknowledged gains such as the domestication of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, wider acceptance of digital evidence, and recent high-profile GBV convictions. He noted, however, that there were gaps, citing low conviction rates, under-resourced police gender desks, and the surge in online harassment cases.
He, therefore, called for smart protection orders, AI-powered case management, and one-stop digital justice portals to close existing loopholes. In her remarks, Chairperson of the Ikeja branch of FIDA, Mrs. Nnenna Eze, also emphasized the indispensability of technology in contemporary rights protection. Eze stated that the branch, which was inaugurated in October 2022 as one of FIDA’s 46 chapters, continues to address numerous cases of domestic violence, abuse, and exploitation. While some matters have been successfully concluded, others remain at various stages across courts and police formations. Digital tools now play a critical role in documenting violations, tracing perpetrators, improving case management, and supporting vulnerable victims, she said.
She called for synergy between institutions of government, partners, and civil society to modernize rights enforcement and ensure that women and children gain confidence in their social and economic lives. Meanwhile, Eze disclosed that the 2025 Law Week theme was carefully chosen to emphasize that laws without enforcement are ineffective.
Source: News Agency of Nigeria