The Nasarawa State Government has warned it will deal decisively with perpetrators of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), if caught, no matter their status in the society.
State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development Rebecca Kwaji gave the warning at a two-day workshop on Wednesday in Lafia, Nasarawa.
Kwaji reiterated that the state would confront GBV through full implementation of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law enacted and signed by Gov. Abdullahi Sule in January 2021.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop is organised by the Centre for Law Enforcement Education in Nigeria (CLEEN) Foundation, with support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy.
It is a state-level policy dialogue to bridge the gap in the state’s VAPP Law.
Kwaji said that the state government had demonstrated political will by integrating the VAPP Law into the laws of the state, noting it had been operational with far-reaching results.
“We will ensure severe punishment for perpetrators and we believe that with this programme in place, it will bring about a reduction in GBV in the state,” she said.
The commissioner further said that the ministry, through its social welfare department, had been handling GBV cases, with offenders prosecuted and survivors taken care of.
Kwaji noted that the state government, through the ministry, had established a shelter where survivors were kept and assisted until they were fully recovered.
She commended CLEEN Foundation for choosing Nasarawa state as one of its focal states for strengthening stakeholders’ capacity to ensure the law was fully domesticated, implemented and given visibility.
“CLEEN Foundation has really come to take a very good position in our midst to help us put this law to be appreciated.
“This law has been in place, but I do not see it being executed much. I believe that after this programme, this law will be very much recognised,” she said.
Earlier, CLEEN Foundation Executive Director Peter Maduoma said that the conversation on the VAPP Law centred on human rights, access to justice, public safety, institutional accountability and protection of vulnerable persons.
Maduoma was represented by the foundation’s Senior Programme Officer, Mr Bernard Ekobay.
He said that the law represented an important legal commitment to preventing GBV, protecting survivors and holding perpetrators accountable, but noted that enactment alone did not translate to justice.
“The real test of the law is not simply whether it has been enacted, but whether a person experiencing domestic violence can safely seek help and receive a timely response.
“The real test is also whether a survivor of sexual violence can report without intimidation, stigma, or victim-blaming,” he said.
Maduoma, however, identified implementation gaps in the law including limited public awareness, inadequate institutional coordination, weak investigation and prosecution, insufficient survivor support services and social pressures that discourage reporting.
In a goodwill message, state Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Halima Hudu-Ababakar said that the workshop would enhance prosecution of GBV offenders.
According to her, before the VAPP Law, the state relied on the Penal Code which did not cover physical, economic, sexual and emotional violence comprehensively.
“Before the VAPP Law, no law talked about compensating the victim, but this law now provides for compensating the victim, instead of allowing the defendant to go scot-free,” she added.
The FIDA chairman, therefore, reiterated the association’s commitment to collaborating with other organisations to ensuring the full enforcement of the law to curtail GBV in the state. (NAN).
