Members of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Ikeja Branch at the 2025 Law Week in Lagos, where the convergence of law and technology took center stage.
The 2025 Law Week of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Ikeja Branch concluded with a powerful consensus: the future of justice for women and children is inextricably linked to technological integration. Held in Lagos under the theme “From Paper to Power: Enforcing Women’s Rights Through Technology and Legal Frameworks,” the event moved beyond theoretical discussion to present a pragmatic blueprint for a modern, effective justice system.
The Imperative for a Digital Justice Framework
In her welcome address, Law Week Chairperson Mrs. Uchechi Erugo framed the central challenge. “Laws on paper are not enough,” she stated, emphasizing that effective enforcement must be “modern, sustainable, and technology-supported.” This sentiment underscores a global shift where women’s rights advocacy is moving from drafting legislation to ensuring its practical application. Erugo highlighted that modern abuse often exploits or hides within digital spaces—from cyberstalking and non-consensual image sharing to financial coercion via digital platforms. Consequently, the justice system’s tools must evolve in parallel. “When we combine strong legal frameworks with innovative tech, that is when we truly move our action from paper to power,” she concluded.
Global Precedents and Nigeria’s Leapfrog Opportunity
Keynote speaker, tech lawyer Mr. Emmanuel Fashola, provided a compelling global context, illustrating that Nigeria is not operating in a vacuum. He cited tangible examples: online protection orders in the United States that allow survivors to secure immediate legal safeguards via digital applications; AI-driven crime tracking in India that identifies patterns of gender-based violence (GBV) hotspots to direct resources; and mobile courts and digital gender desks in East Africa that bring justice services to remote communities.
Fashola then presented a clear-eyed analysis of the Nigerian landscape. While acknowledging progress—such as the domestication of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act, courts’ growing acceptance of digital evidence (like SMS and social media logs), and some high-profile convictions—he pinpointed critical gaps. These include persistently low conviction rates for GBV, under-resourced and often analog police gender desks, and a dramatic surge in online harassment cases that existing legal processes are ill-equipped to handle.
His prescription was direct: “Nigeria can leapfrog if we combine legal reform with technological innovation.” He proposed concrete solutions:
- Smart Protection Orders: Digitally filed, served, and monitored restraining orders that alert authorities and survivors if breached.
- AI-Powered Case Management: Systems that help prosecutors identify strong evidence, track case timelines to prevent delays, and analyze judgments for consistency.
- One-Stop Digital Justice Portals: Secure platforms where survivors can report abuse, access legal information, apply for services, and track their case status, reducing the trauma of navigating multiple physical offices.
Fashola issued a stark warning to the legal community: “Technology will not replace lawyers, but lawyers who use technology will replace those who do not—especially in women’s rights enforcement.”
From Frontline Experience to Systemic Change
Mrs. Nnenna Eze, Chairperson of FIDA Ikeja Branch, grounded the discussion in the stark reality of frontline legal work. Since its inauguration in 2022, the branch has handled numerous cases of domestic violence, abuse, and exploitation. She revealed that while some cases reach resolution, many remain bogged down in protracted court processes and police investigations. Here, she identified technology’s transformative role: documenting violations through secure photo/video uploads and timestamped diaries; tracing perpetrators using digital footprints; and improving case management to prevent files from being lost or forgotten.
Eze called for a synergistic approach, urging collaboration between government institutions, development partners, and civil society to modernize enforcement mechanisms. The ultimate goal, she noted, is to build a system that gives women and children the confidence to participate fully in social and economic life, free from the fear of unaddressed injustice.
A Legacy of Advocacy Accelerated by Innovation
Country Vice President of FIDA Nigeria, Mrs. Eliana Martins, reaffirmed the organization’s six-decade-long commitment, noting that “technology now offers greater reach and effectiveness.” The Law Week itself serves as a catalyst for this evolution—a platform for deepening engagement, fostering professional growth, and strategizing collective action. The message was clear: the conversation must now shift from why technology is needed to how to implement it ethically, inclusively, and effectively.
The 2025 FIDA Law Week successfully framed technology not as a silver bullet, but as an indispensable force multiplier. It provides the transparency, efficiency, and accessibility needed to bridge the vast chasm between the rights enshrined on paper and the power those rights should confer in everyday life. The challenge issued to legal professionals, policymakers, and advocates is now to build the integrated, tech-empowered framework that will turn this vision into a new reality for Nigeria’s women and children.
Reported by Adenike Ayodele. Edited by Sandra Umeh.
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