KUDOS! KNOCKS!, AS NIGERIA JOIN’S THE WORLD TO FLAG OFF 2022 16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM ON GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE – NOVEMBER 25 – DECEMBER 10
Writes Lady Nkiru Celine Okoro – Abuja.
As Nigeria joined the world to flag off activities to mark 16 Days Activism on Gender-based violence, held annually in all countries of the world between November 25 to December 10, it’s been kudos! Knocks on how well Nigeria has fared in dealing systemically, structurally, and psycho-socially with victims, and perpetrators of gender-based violence in the country.
Dame Pauline K. Tallen OFR, KSG, Honourable Minister of Women Affairs
Recall that the Covid 19 Pandemic which ravaged the world between November 2019 to Date, brought unprecedented disruptions in global, national, and community engagements, realities, and supply chains with massive cancellations of all crowd events including religious, sporting, and entertainment outings, forcing global locked down of human activities such as goods and services.
The lockdown prohibited inter and intra-city/state movements of persons, goods, and services except for medical and food supplies, with severe consequences to livelihood. Owing to this, women, and girls including persons with disabilities were exposed to increased vulnerabilities that ranged from intimate partner violence; to incest and violence against girls.
The Nigerian police recorded that over 700 cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) were reported to various police stations and outposts across the country between March and July 2020; raising a national outcry.
These cases were worsened by the closure of offices including the gender department of the Social Development Secretariat of Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and such others that could provide support to victims of gender-based violence throughout the locked.
As a result, victims had no government agency to seek recourse to or support from. Women and girls were forced to cohabit in toxic relationships and environments that exposed them to gender-based violence including loss of life.
The national outcry that ensued from these gory statistics from civil society organizations, gender-based advocacy groups, the media, the Association of Wives of Governors of 36 States of the federation, and international development partners to mention but a few; through active co-ordination of Honourable Minister for Women Affairs – Dame Pauline Tallen; as head of the country’s national gender machinery, swung into action to institute, “A National Emergency on Gender-Based Violence throughout the 36 states of the federation.
The result of these efforts is that, as Nigeria joins the world to flag off, 16 Days Activism On Gender Based Violence”, 34 states of the federation have domesticated the, “2015 Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP); and 32 states, the 2003 Child Rights Act. These two laws of the federal Republic of Nigeria provides the legal framework to bring perpetrators to book.
It was therefore KUDOs for the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs – Dame Pauline Tallen, who through her tenacity, active co-ordination engagements, and support from the Association of Wives of the 36 States of the federation, The Speakers of the Houses of Assembly of the 36 states of the federation; International Development partners including the United Nations, The European Union, The Canadian Embassy in Nigeria, The United Kingdom Aid in Nigeria to mention but a few.
Themed: “Unite To End all forms of sexual And Gender Based violence against women and girls”, the flag-off ceremony attracted International Development Partners like The United Nations Women’s Country Representative to Nigeria and West Africa, Ms. Beatrice Eyong, and Heads of other UN Agencies; The European Ambassador to Nigeria Ms. Samuela Isopi; The Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Kevin Tokar among others.
The High impact media event also attracted mainstream media, social media influencers, and representatives of civil society organizations and gender-based advocacy groups including Ms. Ene Obi, Convener, Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room on 2023 General Elections, who also doubles as the Country Director, Action Aid Nigeria.
Speaking at the event, The Honorable Minister for Women Affairs – Dame Pauline Tallen Said, “My emphasis to all the states that have domesticated the 2015 VAPP Act so far, is the proper implementation of these laws. It’s not enough to just pass the Act in your states, the implementation, particularly about the girl child and early marriage. My prayer and my appeal to all of you is to ensure that no girl is out of school before she completes Senior Secondary School. All we want is for girls to be retained in schools. Our goal is that girls should be admitted, retained, and allowed to complete their senior secondary school. If that is done, we would have been able to address the problem of early marriage and we are making progress on that”.
“Working with strategic Stakeholders, The Minister noted that the community-based advocacy embarked on by the ministry to end gender-based violence in Nigeria is gaining ground. She appealed to all the state commissioners for women’s affairs at the council of Women Affairs meeting held recently in Abuja to follow through on their ministries mandate which is, “Zero tolerance to all forms of violence against women and girls.”
She requested development partners to support the acquisition of mobile forensic machines to make it easy to carry out investigations on cases of rape in the country, as the existing ones are only accessible in Adamawa and Lagos states.
She appreciated United Nations Fund for Population (UNFPA) and the entire UN agencies in Nigeria for completing the forensic lab in Adamawa state. She prayed that, when she approaches the Minister of State for Budgets to ensure the provision of Forensic Labs in all states of the federation, is captured in the 2023 national budget, so each of the geopolitical zones and states of the country would have one forensic lab.
Working with funds provided by European Union, and managed by the British Council through the “Rule of Law and Anti Corruption Project (ROLAC), the Sex offenders Register has been established in at least 32 centers in the federation and a database of service providers captured by NATIP under the project.
These initiatives have increased advocacy, sensitization, and awareness creation on gender-based violence effectively cobbing the menace of the culture of silence associated with the malaise. There exists today 32 sexual assault referral centers across 19 states”.
These, without a doubt, are a very good results. However, the Honourable Minister scored very low in providing access to justice for victims of gender-based violence and bringing perpetrators to Justice. It was noted that Lagos State established special courts for sex offenders in 2018/2019. Since, then, only Adamawa, Anambra, Edo, and Federal Capital Territory have established Special courts for sex offenders.
According to a UN/EU-funded research publication on sex offenders under the Spotlight Initiative, only 0.09 of sex perpetrators and offenders have been prosecuted in Nigeria. This statistic is abysmally low.
The Honourable Minister charged state judiciaries to designate special courts to handle cases of rape and other forms of violence against women across the 36 states of the federation. The Federal Capital Territory has designated three courts for the trial of GBV cases within its jurisdiction. These developments are the result of strong political commitments and we need to keep the momentum.
At another level, the EU, the UN Spotlight Initiative, together with the Nigeria Governors wives forum, and the Inter-ministerial Management Committee on GBV, are working together to develop the GBV Accountability Tracker. This is a key tool for taking stock of the State of GBV in Nigeria.
The tracker is a one-stop shop for all related information on GBV. It is a live platform containing milestone achievements and responses across the 36 states of the federation. It is an important information resource that will guide government action, and help international partners mobilize funds strategically.
The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria, Ms. Samuela Isopi stated the EU will remain engaged with the Spotlight Initiative through continued support for the ROLAC project. Said she, “We are mobilizing new funds and we will continue to support the government and all the stakeholders in the effort to curb GBV. We would more broadly, support women’s empowerment and gender equality as key priority areas of the European Union in all our areas of work.”
The European Union will also continue to engage in high-level dialogue on gender equality, with the government, with civil society, and also use public diplomacy to create greater public awareness. Nigeria set an example by making extraordinary commitments.
This allows us to commend this administration for its political commitment to the efforts and the results. Yet, this maybe not enough, but very significant and has been achieved. And I would like to pay a special tribute to the honorable minister, my sister, Dame Pauline Talent, for her leadership and strong personal engagement”.
For Canada, The Ag High Commissioner to Nigeria, said, “the Government of Canada has narrowed down its campaign to include changing entrenched attitudes and behaviors contributing to gender-based violence and how survivors can be saved from being marginalized and stereotyped by the society.
“The Deborah House” IMO STATE SEXUAL ASSULT & REFERRAL CENTER (SARC)
Meanwhile, in Imo State, The first lady, Barr. (Mrs.) Chioma Uzodimma on Friday, November 25, 2022, as part of activities to mark the state’s 16 days of Activism on gender-based violence, opened the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in Owerri named “The Deborah House”.
In her address, she stated that “The Deborah House” would be a one-stop project that prioritizes the needs and rights of sexual assault survivors. She highlighted the activities of the center including screening and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, treatment and care for young sex abuse victims, and psychological services by way of counseling support. Other activities include the provision of legal services to victims, provision of shelter, general rehabilitation services as well as availing victims of information and education.
Barr (Mrs.) Chioma Uzodinma Marking 16 Days Activism In Imo State.
Gender-based violence is not inevitable. It can and must be prevented if we are all committed to that.
Other activities to mark the period by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs in Abuja include but are not limited to:
1. The launch of the gender-based mapping of service respondents in 14 states by the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs;
2. Cande lighting of the Women Affairs Building and the UN building that took place on November 25, 2022, at the ministries Headquarters the UNs building also in Abuja;
3. Muslim Jumat Service held on Friday, November 25, 2022, Interdenominational Christain Service at the Holy Trinity Church, Maitama, Abuja on the 4th of December, 2022 By 12 noon
4. There will be a National Symposium Public Lecture on National Accountability and Activism to eliminate violence against women and girls,
5. Advocacy capacity-building programs with the security and Justice System Sector including lawyers, magistrates, judges, army, the police, Naptip, immigration, prisons, civil defense, and other security sectors.
6. Production and airing of jingles on both radio and TV. Social media, bloggers, and influencers. Development of key messages to be shared.
7. We will visit schools for a day and have interactive sessions with boys and girls, as we always did every year.
8. We will also visit key media enterprises, the Minister of Education; the Ministry of Finance, National Planning, and the Inspector General of Police Officers.
“Enough is enough. We must speak out. We must drive this advocacy to all nooks and crannies of Nigeria, so that the impulse and people would feel the need to support, speak out and do everything we can to end all forms of violence against women, girls, and children”. Dame Paullen Tallen – November 25, 2022 – Abuja.