Apart from sexual gratification itself, sexual violence against women is often a result of unequal power equations, both real and perceived between men and women, and is also strongly influenced by cultural factors and values. Sexual violence is likely to occur more commonly in cultures that foster beliefs of perceived male superiority and social and cultural inferiority of women. Kalra, G. & Bhugra, D. (2013) Indian Journal of Psychiatry

In many societies, women, as well as men, regard marriage as entailing the obligation on women to be sexually available virtually without limit. Even outside of marriage, women may have extremely few legitimate options to refuse sexual advances. World Health Organization, First World Report on Violence and Health (2002).

To share her views and insights on the “Societal Ills Plaguing the Girl Child: Cultural Norms that serve as Enablers”.

SCwN Conversations hosted Ini Abimbola -Vice President/Founding Member, Association of Sustainability Professionals of Nigeria (ASPN); Convener, Africa CEO Roundtable & Conference on Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility. She is also the Country & Regional Lead (Sub-Saharan Africa) for The CSR Company, a global CSR Network of organizations spanning South East Asia, Europe, the Middle East & Africa.

Ini also served as the pioneer Executive Director, Defence for Children International – Nigeria Section. She was also a Consultant with the Women, Gender and Development Directorate of the African Union, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as well as the African Centre for Gender & Development within the UN Economic Commission, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

She is a 2008 Draper Hills Fellow on Democracy, Development & Rule of Law at Stanford University California and an alumnus of the Harvard Business School Executive Education Program.