BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
State Governors, Ministries of Justice, Women and Children Affairs, security agencies and other stakeholders in the justice delivery system have been charged to ensure speedy implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice and Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law in their respective states in order to tackle rising cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence in the country.
This call was made by an SGBV Justice Network Cluster and other stakeholders including Magistrates, social workers, women journalists, media, legal practitioners, security agencies among others at a dialogue organised by the cluster at WOCDIF Centre in Osogbo, Osun State with support from USAID-SCALE Project.
Speaking on how best practices on ACJL and VAPPL in Osun State can be accelerated, Chief Magistrate Olusegun Ayilara disclosed that the legal framework for fight against SGBV is in force but noted that stakeholders needed to show commitment by desisting from delay tactics.
Ayilara urged Osun State government to provide facilities like more courtrooms that would make judges and lawyers comfortable in adjudication of SGBV matters.
In her presentation on Overview of State-Specific ACJL and VAPPL and the gaps therein, a legal officer from the Justice Development and Peace Makers’Centre, Osogbo, Ene Onoja, identified corrupt practices among some stakeholders, ignorance of the laws and lack of sexual offender register and safe homes were parts of the challenges confronting efforts at tackling SGBV in Osun.
After sharing learnings and dialoguing on how the laws could be efficacious so as so improve justice outcomes for survivors of abuse, the stakeholders at the meeting tagged: “Towards Consolidating Advocacy for Effective Justice Delivering for Survivors of SGBV”, emphasised prompt response and actions for SGBV by communities, police and other security agencies and the judiciary.
They canvassed for working committees on ACJL and VAPPL, adding that visitations should be paid to community leaders, schools, security agencies among others by civil society organisations to facilitate change of orientation towards SGBV and best practices.
Addressing a press conference, the Executive Director, Community Advancement Initiative for Self-Reliance (CAI4SR), an NGO that organised the roundtable discussion in Osogbo, Eni Ayeni said the SJN Cluster has been pushing for full implementation of the VAPP and ACJ Laws, with a view to seeing the laws being very effective in the five project states of Bauchi, Benue, Enugu, Kaduna, and Osun.
“The Cluster is made of Ikra Foundation for Women and Youth Development (IFWYD), Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), League of Women Voters, Nigeria (NILOWV), Community Advancement Initiative for Self-Reliance (CAI4SR), Agbani Farms Ltd as well as Legal Awareness for Nigerian Women (LANW) and anchored by Lawyers Alert (LA).
“The Cluster has noted that the prevalence in cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in Nigeria and is working to curb incidents of SGBV as well as strengthen the implementation of VAPP and ACJ laws towards ensuring speedy justice delivery for survivors of SGBV in the project states.
“Nigerian women aged 25-29 had experienced some form of physical violence since age 15, with the common acts of violence in Nigeria being sexual harassment, harmful traditional practices, and emotional, physical, psychological, and socio-economic violence.
“The SJN Cluster is emphasising the need to have adequate funding of the Sexual Assault Referral Centers (SARCs) as well as the need for the Judiciary to designate some courts for the hearing of SGBV cases, in addition to setting aside some days for the courts to hear SGBV cases,” Ayeni stated.
