Wife of Nigeria’s President has called on relevant stakeholders to improve efforts towards preventing gender-based violence by applying the right policies and strategies.
Aisha Buhari stated this at 3rd Annual conference of the Nigerian governors wives forum, themed “Awareness, Accountability and Action, Sustaining the state of emergency Against sexual and gender based violence” in Abuja the Nation’s capital.
According to the First Lady, the Governors’ Wives should reaffirm their commitment towards ending gender based violence in the country.
She commended the Nigerian Governors’ Wives Forum for their collaborative to ensure the safety and protection of women and girls from all forms of sexual and gender-based violence.
“The journey towards equality and the empowerment of women remains a significant one. Nigeria has already made great strides – most notably in the passage of legislation such as the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act which has now been domesticated in 34 States”
“Ending violence against women requires that key institutions work together, provide services and ensure that the different bodies in society are held accountable, especially those that are responsible for law enforcement.” She said.
The first lady further stated that the Nigerian Governors’ Wives Forum is working tirelessly with partners and other stakeholders to see that gender-based violence is reduced to the barest minimum.
“Together, let us commit by making certain that every woman and girl counts, to ensure that every girl in Nigeria can grow up in a world feeling secure and protected,” she stressed.
The Nigerian Governors Forum Chairman and Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, assured women that the governors would continue to support efforts to end gender-based violence.
He further reassured that the two states would domesticate the violence against persons Act before the year ends.
The governor represented by the Director-general of the Nigerian Governor Forum, Asishana Okauru, commended the governors’ wives forum for setting up a structure that would outlive every first lady.
He said: “The Institutionalisation of the Forum’s initiative would ensure sustainability.
“The Nigerian Governor Forum is committed to ensuring that tackling sexual and gender-based violence in our respective States would be a priority”
“We are committed to ensuring that the Violence Against Persons Law (VAPP) and Child Rights Act would be effectively passed and implemented in our respective States”
“As of November, 2022, 34 States and the Federal Capital Territory FCT have domesticated the VAPP Act and 32 States so far have domesticated the Child Rights Act.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, commended the Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai for his efforts to stem sex-related abuses by signing the Kaduna-State-Penal-Code-Amendment-Law-2020 which provides punishments of surgical castration and bilateral salpingectomy for male and female convicts of child rape, respectively.
The chairperson of Nigerian Governors’ Wives Forum and first lady of Sokoto State, north-west Nigeria, Mariya Aminu Tambuwal, listed the objectives of the conference to include, bringing stakeholders together for a high-level advocacy forum on Sustaining Gender Based Violence to commemorate the Global 16 days of Activism campaign against Gender-Based Violence.
While commending the Nigerian governor’s forum on their focus and Activism on gender based violence, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, said Nigeria has actually made progress in advancing women issues including the passage of the violence against persons with prohibition Act and the implementation of the national gender policy.
“Recognising the challenges, United State would continue our long serving partnership with the government of Nigeria, the private sector and the civil societies to build on the agenda of gender based violence in country,” she said.
Also speaking on the child Right Act, the EU Ambassador and Head of EU delegation and ECOWAS in Nigeria, Mrs Samuela Isopi, said it was important that government at all level supports the Act and apply holistic approach to end gender inequality.
The Nigerian Governors Wives Forum established in June 2020 has recorded a significant amount of success towards their efforts to eradicate Gender Based Violence.
The Governors’ wives have collaborated with women’s right Organisation to provide leadership for state coordinating mechanisms for an implementation of the VAPP Act.
Also in March, 2022 the wives of the Nigerian governors established a Gender based violence survivor’s fund. This survivor’s fund enables the Governors wives to provide support to survivors in their different States.
The Nigerian Governors’ Wives Forum has also launched the Gender Based Violence Accountability Tracker, the GBV Providers Directory, the National Standard Operating Procedures and the manual of “Learning on the Job” for the Governors wives at the just concluded 3rd Annual conference.
Lateefah Ibrahim
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