UN Women, Disability Advocates Back 220-Hour Marathon Reading to Fight Gender-Based Violence

UN Women and disability rights advocates have thrown their weight behind a 220-hour reading marathon designed to highlight critical gaps in legal protections for women and girls against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) across Nigeria and 14 other African countries.
​Spearheaded by advocate Olubunmi Uluba, the nine-day, four-hour continuous read-aloud campaign aims to set a Guinness World Record for the longest marathon reading aloud while bridging the divide between existing human rights legislation and survivors’ real-world access to justice.
​Turning Laws into Public Education
​Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, described the marathon as a powerful vehicle to transform complex legal texts into public education and social change.
​”Behind every statistic is a survivor seeking justice, a young girl yearning for safety, and a community striving to protect human dignity,” Eyong said, emphasizing that SGBV remains one of the most persistent human rights challenges in Africa.
​Eyong identified the disconnect between written laws and public awareness as a primary obstacle in ending abuse. During the marathon, Uluba will read aloud key legal provisions and survivor protection frameworks from 15 African nations.
​”Every hour devoted to reading presents an opportunity for someone to understand their rights, recognize different forms of violence, appreciate the importance of consent, or discover where survivors can obtain assistance,” Eyong noted. She added that eliminating violence aligns directly with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality), and 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).
​Eyong urged a collective response involving traditional leaders, civil society, the media, men, and boys to dismantle harmful social norms and enforce accountability.
​Breaking Barriers for Survivors with Disabilities
​Highlighting the compound vulnerabilities faced by women and girls with disabilities, Founder and President of the Network of Women with Disabilities, Hon. Lois Auta, stressed that public campaigns must address systemic accessibility barriers.
​Auta warned that legal safeguards mean little if survivors cannot physically or communicationally access the justice system.
​”Survivors with disabilities often face multiple obstacles when attempting to report abuse, obtain medical attention, or pursue justice,” Auta explained, citing inaccessible police stations, a lack of sign language interpreters, inadequate healthcare infrastructure, and institutional discrimination.
​To ensure true inclusion, Auta called for key action steps:
​Accessible Formats: Translating legal documentation into Braille, simplified easy-to-read formats for intellectual disabilities, and sign language interpretation.
​Infrastructure Audits: Upgrading police stations, courts, and hospitals to be physically accessible.
​Institutional Training: Training law enforcement and judicial personnel to handle cases involving persons with disabilities professionally.
​Active Representation: Adhering to the principle “Nothing about us without us” by directly involving women with disabilities in policy design and advocacy.
​Auta also appealed to media organizations to maintain sustained coverage throughout the entire nine-day event, rather than focusing solely on the opening ceremonies.
​Beyond the Record
​While the marathon aims for a spot in the Guinness World Records, both UN Women and disability advocates agreed that the true measure of success will be long-term structural impact—translating public awareness into institutional accountability and ensuring no survivor is left behind.