By Mustapha Yauri
Abuja – The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has urged strategic stakeholders to strive more to safeguard
women and girls from Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and other harmful practices.
The fund made the call in a statement issued by Mrs Kori Habib, the Media and Communication Specialist of UNFPA Nigeria
on Monday in Abuja.
She stated that the appeal became necessary following growing cases of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG)
reported recently in the public domain.
The statement reiterated UNFPA’s Zero Tolerance for GBV and Harmful Practices, adding: “UNFPA commends government
at all levels, civil society organisations and other development partners on their efforts which enabled the enactment of
2015 Violence Against Person’s Prohibition (VAPP) Act, its passing into law across some states.”
The agency also used the opportunity to assure the federal and state governments of its continued advocacy and support for the
enactment and domestication of the required laws, noting its readiness to support capacity building of front-line response
providers such as law enforcement agents and the judiciary to help end the scourge.
UNFPA also stated that it would engage key stakeholders in awareness campaigns and for sustainable data management, adding that
notable cases of VAWG that caught public attention included the 13-year-old Ochanya Ogbaje, who was allegedly raped to
death by a father and son in Benue in 2018.
Another notable case it cited was that of a popular blogger, Ms Linda Ikeji, who was allegedly drugged and raped in Lagos
recently, as well as the reported story of Gift Alonge, who suffered
countless incidences of sexual assault and defilement in the hands of
her biological father.
UNFPA equally mentioned the case of a young woman who was brutalised by a group of young men in Benin City through the insertion
of pepper in her private part, stressing that “all these cases of violence and the countless number of unreported cases,
are symptoms of a larger malaise, which require urgent national attention.
“UNFPA appeals to all states in Nigeria to domesticate and enforce the VAPP Act.
“UNFPA also calls on relevant actors to take advantage of the VAPP
Act to address the scourge of violence against women and girls
in Nigeria.”
