VP Osinbajo, Supreme Court Justice advocate strong laws to protect vulnerable children

Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and Justice Mary Peter Odili of the Supreme Court has called for stiffer punishment against those perpetrating violence on innocent children and vulnerable citizens of the country.

They also advocated for strong laws that will give adequate protection to the child and vulnerable witnesses working towards eradication of crimes in the nation.

In their separate papers at a Conference organized by the National Association of Women Judges, a Hybrid Conference on the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Witnesses in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. They canvassed for a policy that will ensure justice delivery without sacrificing the well-being of vulnerable witnesses in the process.

Professor Osinbajo, represented by Professor Bilkisu Saidu suggested that all hands must be on deck by stakeholders to end attack on child and the vulnerable.

The Vice President assured that the Nigerian government will do its best to eradicate violence against the child and vulnerable in the country.

He also said that discussion at the Conference must not only address the overwhelming cultural and social norms and barriers to exposing criminals but must also assess and address the problems that the witnesses may face before trial, during trial and after trial.

According to him, “the protection of their privacy and their identities should be paramount.”

“It is not enough to pass laws for the protection of the child and other vulnerable witnesses, there is the need to have in place clear implementation and enforcement mechanisms aimed at actualising the intendment of the law,” he stressed.

Professor Osinbajo also stressed the need for appropriate protective measures for children, adding that the prevalence of sexual and gender-based offences against children has further brought to the fore the imperative of designing appropriate protective measures for these children, who are sometimes the only witnesses to the offences.

Justice of the Supreme Court and the President of the National Association of Women Judges in Nigeria (NAWJN), Justice Mary Peter Odili explained the essence of the Conference on Child and Vulnerable witnesses’ protection.

She said that the conference was meant to create awareness, cross fertilize ideas and congregate experiences that would chart a new course for Child and vulnerable witnesses in the country.

“It has been shown that Nigeria is behind in the protection of child and vulnerable witnesses compared to her Common Wealth counterparts”, she said.

According to her, ”no single legislation in Nigeria provides for the protection of Child and vulnerable witnesses in the country. The situation is further compounded by the challenge of defining who is a child under the Nigerian Law”

Justice Odili added that though the Child Rights Act has been passed by the Nigerian government, some states of the federation are yet to domesticate the legislation.

She also urged the audience to drive discussion in the conference that would provoke law makers, legal practitioners, and judges towards having a deliberate legal frame work for child and vulnerable witness protection in Nigeria.

Participants drawn from Nigeria, Australia, England and Wales exchanged perspectives on what is obtained in their countries and the way forward for Nigeria.