Women's Rights and Sustainable Development

'Women’s Rights and Sustainable Development: The Impact of Gender Equality on the Rights of Women and Sustainable Development in Nigeria’ The Nigerian society is plagued with various forms of discrimination against women and girls ranging from discrimination based on culture to societal beliefs of the roles of women in the country. The inequality present in the Nigerian society allows for the ill-treatment of women both at home and in their workplace. It deprives women of various opportunities which can improve their quality of life. The gender inequality in the Nigerian society transcends to a form which violates various human rights of women as well limits the sustainable development of the country. In this thesis, I discuss the relationship between gender equality and sustainable development. I focus on the ‘Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’ and discuss the sustainable development goals in relation to gender equality. The main aim of this thesis is to show how the achievement of gender equality will promote the rights of women in Nigeria and also translate to the sustainable development of the country. This thesis addresses Nigeria’s obligations under international and regional human rights law instruments, the reality of women living in Nigeria and also addresses Nigeria’s response and measures in place to protect the rights of women and considers their effectiveness. Furthermore, Nigeria’s response to achieving the sustainable development goals, especially Goal 5 and its progress will be addressed. In carrying out this research, I adopt a desk-based research method using doctrinal, socio-legal as well as interdisciplinary research methodologies to achieve my goal. In concluding this thesis, I provide recommendations on how gender equality can be achieved in the Nigerian society in order to improve the human rights of women and ensure the sustainable development of the country in relation to the 2030 Agenda.