A Non-Government Organisation, Legal Awareness for Nigeria Women has decried the non-utilisation of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law by lawyers in Kaduna State.

The acting Executive Director of the NGO, Hannatu Ahuwan, made the complaint in an interview in Kaduna on Wednesday, in commemoration of the 2023 16-day of activism to end gender-based violence.

The 16-day of activism to end gender-based violence against women and girls is an annual international campaign that runs from November 25, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, until December 10, which is Human Rights Day.

The global initiative is aimed at raising awareness on the devastating impact of violence against women and children, and the social fabric of society.

It is also aimed at challenging discriminatory attitudes and calling for improved laws and services to end violence against women for good.

It has “UNITE! Invest to prevent Violence Against Women and Girls” as the theme for 2023.

Mrs Ahuwan, therefore, said that while state and non-state actors would continue to commemorate the 16 days of activism, relevant laws needed to be in place to ensure justice for survivors.

She explained that the VAPP law aims to prohibit forms of violence against persons in private and public life and provide maximum protection and effective remedies for victims and punishment of offenders.

She, however, said that the non-utilisation of the law by lawyers in the prosecution of perpetrators of GBV in the state was undermining ongoing efforts to end violence against women and girls.

She said, “For us in Kaduna State, lawyers are not using the VAPP law to prosecute offenders of GBV. One of the reasons according to some of the lawyers is because rape was not captured in the law because it was already captured in penal code, which the lawyers use.

“Another reason, according to the lawyers, is because the penalties in the VAPP law are not as stiff as that of the penal code. But beside rape cases, there are other forms of GBV that were captured in the VAPP law which are relevant in the prosecution of GBV cases.”

She, therefore, called for the implementation of the VAPP law and the administration of criminal justice law with a view to stemming the tide of GBV in the state.

She said that LANW, under the SGBV Justice Network, a cluster under the USAID-Palladium funded project, is advocating review of the VAPP law to address the lawyers’ concerns.

“We are calling for the use of the VAPP law, as well as the review of the law to make the punishments stiffer for lawyers and prosecutors to find it usable and effective in prosecuting GBV-related cases,” she said.

The acting executive director also called on the Kaduna State Government to evolve a coordinating mechanism for the implementation of GBV issues in the state.

She pointed out that the state’s ministry for human services and social development, ministry of justice and the ministry of health are all provided specific responsibilities in addressing GBV.

Mrs Ahuwan, however, said that no specific ministry was saddled with the responsibility of coordinating the GBV response in the state, a development she described as “counterproductive.”

She equally called on the private sector to support the sexual assault referral centres in the state with equipment, drugs, and test kits among other needs to enable them function effectively.

She expressed concern that sometimes, GBV survivors had to pay for some tests or drugs, which according to her, is not helping their situation.

She said that the 16 days of activism to end violence against women and girls was contributing to the high number of GBV being recorded in the state.

This, according to her, is because people are becoming more aware and are speaking out.

She stated, “But nonetheless, we still have people perpetuating the act even by those who knew it was wrong, including lawyers who should know better. Incidents are still high, in spite of awareness campaigns, indicating that more needs to be done. Another challenge is that people have not heard so much about those who were prosecuted and punished over violence against women and girls.

“Although 10 persons have been prosecuted in the state, many people are not aware of it to deter others from committing the acts. Incidents of GBV will reduce if people knew that they would be punished for committing such crimes.”

(NAN)