By NAN

Ms Sola Folaya, the Programme Manager of Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) has called for Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law to be gazetted to facilitate effective implementation and prosecution of offenders.

Folayan made the call at the Validation of Policy Briefs and Page Analysis for Advancing Implementation of the VAPP Act in 12 focal states meeting on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to her, WFD is currently in Osun and Oyo states to engage with stakeholders, especially members of state houses of assembly, Ministries of Justice, Information and others to ensure that VAPP law is gazetted.

“In this briefs, we also want to develop page analysis to look at the processes from passage, to accent, gazetting and execution of the law.

“While some states have passed it into law but yet to gazette it, others have gazetted the law, and that is what we are advocating for, so that it can be useful.

“You know, if it is not gazetted, some of the prosecuting officers will not be able to use this law effectively. Thus, gazetting the law is a necessity for effective implementation and execution,” Folayan said.

She further explained that it was important for people to understand the provisions of the law, adding that the VAPP was enacted to strengthen other laws.

She stressed that there was need to harmonise all the laws so that everyone was adequately protected, “it is important that the Ministry of Justice harmonises the existing laws.”

Folayan said WFD observed that the prevalence of Sexual and Gender Base Violence (SGBV) raised during the COVID-19 pandemic to the point that Nigerian Governors’ Wives declare state of emergency on SGBV.

“If we want to put this to an end in the country, we need to have a lot of funds to implement this law.

“We are also advocating for stakeholders in the 12 states we are working to have a social referral centres to support victims and survivors of SGBV.

“This is to ensure that they don’t only remain victims, but they are strengthen to be able to stop these issues in the states, be supported and go through psychosocial support that will enable them to be integrated effectively into the society,.

 “We did a research in the 12 states and we thought we should develop policy briefs that would help stakeholders in the implementation of VAPP law. ” Folayan said.

A lawyer and Gender Base Activist, Ms Brenda Anugwom said during the research in the Federal Capital Territory, it was observed that in the communities where there  were less educated women, SGBV was low, adding that it was high in the city centres where educated women were found.

She said litigation on SGBV was slow and as such, only few conviction had  been made.

Anugwom called for the establishment of a special court to be known as ‘Human Rights Court’ that would focus only on SGBV and other related’sexual abuses.

“Also, we need to have a line for SGBV in the national and states budgets. There is need to have budget funds to address SGBV.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the validation of policy briefs meeting brought stakeholders from Anambra, Enugu, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Edo.

Others were from Kaduna, Plateau, Lagos, Osun and FCT. (NAN)