Abuja – The Chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs, Stella Ngwu, on Monday, called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on violence against women/ girls.
Ngwu made the call at National Symposium on Effective Implementation of Laws and Policies to end Sexual and Gender-based Violence.
The chairman said rape, female genital mutilation, forced marriage and abortion continued to be perpetrated against women and girls in Nigeria.
She said efforts to end such acts were yet to be put in place, adding that no fewer than 3,000 cases of violence were reported annually with 80 per cent related to sexual and psychological abuse on women and girls.
“This tells us that this has reached an epidemic stage and we must declare an emergency: In Nigeria we still have problem with effective implementation of laws.
“We have laws in the books which are dead because nobody is talking about implementation; we work so hard to get laws passed and we think our work is done.
“Implementation of these laws is where the major work starts especially the Violence against Person’s Prohibition Act which was signed into law on May 25, 2015.
“Rights of women and girls in Nigeria are continuously violated; their right to life, bodily integrity and reproductive determination among others, are violated daily.
“Our society does not have a safe place for women as they are often raped even in schools and offices; girls go to school and they are abducted. Where then is the safe place?
“We need to create a safe place for women and girls to thrive. There is need to put this issue on the front burner of national interest’’, the chairman said.
Ngwu added that the Act was limited in application to the FCT, urging the 36 states to make efforts to adopt similar laws as it was the first time Nigeria had a comprehensive law on violence against persons.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, said the House had played its role of passing the Bill. “Implementing the law is the responsibility of the executive and judicial arms of government.’’
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Dogara, represented by Deputy Minority Whip, Binta Bello, said the House was making efforts to ensure the judiciary and executive arms implemented the law in order to enable Nigerians enjoy the benefits.
Mrs Beatrice Jedy-Agba, Director-General of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), called for improved public enlightenment and urged women and girls to speak up.
Jedy-Agba underscored the importance of fighting stereotypes which encouraged perpetrators to act aggressively using violence to solve problems.
According to her, the power of a nation lies in her ability to protect its vulnerable population and “together we can make this happen.’’
Prof. Joy Ezeilo, Founding Director of (WACOL), said government’s support services for reintegration and rehabilitation of victims of violence was non-existent.
Ezeilo said this was despite the fact that the FG had signed and ratified the UN Convention on Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
“According to survey on torture in Nigeria carried out by WomenAid Collective (WACOL), rape and sexual abuse are forms of torture mostly experienced by women.
“The rate at which women are raped and sexually abused stands at 65.4 per cent – a high risk to the development of women in the country.
The symposium tagged: “End Violence Now! Create Safe Spaces for Women and Girls’’, is part of activities to mark the United Nations Day for Elimination of Violence against Women.
Present were law enforcement agents, human rights activists and civil society groups, traders, transporters, labour unions, clerics, judiciary officials and legislators.
The symposium was organised by WACOL to find ways of implementing the Violence against Persons Prohibition Act of May 25, 2015. (NAN)