- Says call for elimination of violence is imperative
- As Nigerian media joins fight against Sexual and Gender Based Violence
With the surge in Gender Based Violence (GBV) around the world occasioned chiefly by lock-down measures introduced to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria, has reiterated the urgency in setting up special Courts for speedy trial of gender based violence cases in the country.
A cross section of participants at meeting organized by Education As a Vaccine Nigeria in conjunction with the NUJ to validate proposed guidelines on reporting Sexual and Gender Based Violence held in Abuja on Friday November 27, 2020
During a press conference at Abuja yesterday, to mark the 2020 16-Days Activism Against Gender Based Violence with the theme: “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!”, Chairperson of FIDA Abuja branch, Mrs. Racheal Adejo-Andrew disclosed that the year 2020, has been especially challenging for women and girls.
Meanwhile, National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Chris Isiguzo has re-emphasized the media’s commitment to uncovering sexual crimes with the aim of curbing cases of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in the country.
Speaking at a meeting organized by Education As a Vaccine Nigeria in conjunction with the NUJ to validate proposed guidelines on reporting Sexual and Gender Based Violence, Isiguzo, said by prioritizing issues that affect Nigerian women, the media was playing it’s role of agenda setting and protecting the rights of a group which represents about fifty percent of the country’s population.
On her part, the FIDA Abuja Chairperson, who acknowledged the horrific rise in GBV against women and girls during the Covid-19 crisis, said stakeholders need to play an active role in the sensitization, prevention, protection and enforcement to ensure the elimination of Gender based violence and adoption of the violence against persons prohibition Act and Child’s Rights Act in all states.
“As we intensify efforts at preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls, we appeal to all Nigerian citizens to join hands in this call, remain resolute in speaking out against all forms of violence, encourage and support victims to speak up, report all suspicious activities of any form of violence against women and girls, amplify voices against discrimination against women in lopsided appointments in Government and be the vanguard of a better and improved Nigeria.
“The call for elimination of violence is imperative as the rate of violence has escalated due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and other related reasons as reports clearly shows an alarming increase in the already existing pandemic of violence against women and children.
“We must commend the amazing efforts of FIDA Nigeria who in her bid to curb the high rate of gender based violence during the lockdown engaged in different programmes, ranging from Press release/Conference, advocacy visits to Attorney General of the Federation and various States, Inspector General of Police and States Commissioner of Police, partnership with various Media houses, sensitization, rallies and social media campaigns.
“We must also commend all the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Non-governmental organizations who galvanized to quickly raise an alarm against the rise in violence against women and girls, especially rape, which culminated in positive responses from government and its agencies.
“This include and are not limited to the declaration of a State of Emergency against rape by State governments, setting up of the Inter-Ministerial Gender-Based Violence Management Committee by the Attorney General of the Federation, the adoption of the VAPP Act by more States in Nigeria and so on,” she said.
Mrs. Adejo-Andrew also revealed that FIDA would be training community paralegals within some local and or indigenous communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as first responders to addressing issues of violence at the grassroots.
Paralegals are persons employed or retained by a lawyer, to perform specifically delegated legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.
Again, the FIDA Abuja Chairperson called on the governments to fund this Project in addition to the establishment of Gender Desks at Police Stations and the Ministry of Justice with trained personnel for accelerated treatment of cases.
Meanwhile, the organisation has outlined activities for this year’s programme expected to end on the 10th of December. These include an advocacy walk, visits to the Nigerian Police and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Person’s (NAPTIP), among others.
The United Nations (UN) has since admitted that as the world retreated inside homes due to the lockdown measures introduced to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, reports showed an alarming increase in the already existing pandemic of violence against women.
Gender experts maintain that gender-based violence is destroying family cohesion and peace in many communities.
Patterns of this violence have resulted in psychological problems for children and negatively impact their performance in school. It erodes their confidence, limits their life chances and affects their potential to contribute to the development of the country.
Data shows that displaced women and girls worldwide are experiencing increased gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) states that just as levels of violence against women have risen, lockdowns and other movement restrictions have made it more difficult for survivors to report abuse and seek help.
Refugee women often lack access to public health facilities and other critical social services and are reliant on services available through NGOs and UN agencies. However, COVID has forced many of those services to close.
