Women lawyers want stringent punishment for GBV offences

In a bid to tackle Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Nigeria, the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) has said there is a need for effective, workable laws, which pose a significant challenge.

The group disclosed this during a two-day yearly multi-stakeholder dialogue on “Implementation Status on Gender-Sensitive Legislations/ Framework Preventing Violence Against Women and Children.”

The event, which was supported by the Ford Foundation, was held at Ikeja. The Vice National President of FIDA, Mrs Eliana Martins said that GBV remained a pervasive issue in Nigeria with far-reaching consequences for women and girls.

She noted that despite existing laws, the implementation remained a significant challenge. She referred to the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that one in three women worldwide experience physical or sexual violence, mostly by an intimate partner.

She said: “In Nigeria, the statistics are equally alarming, with the National Demographic and Health Survey revealing that 28 per cent of women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence.

“While laws such as the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act, 2015, and the Child Rights Act, 2003, exist, their implementation is often hindered by social norms, cultural practices and religious beliefs.

“There is a need for laws that are not only enacted but also effectively implemented to protect women and girls.” Martins said that the dialogue brought together various stakeholders, including government officials, civil society organisations, and community leaders, to discuss the status of gender-sensitive legislation and identify gaps in its implementation. She stated that the dialogue was aimed at developing actionable strategies for improvement and promoting accountability among stakeholders.

Also, the vice president identifies one of the key challenges in addressing GBV as the lack of awareness and understanding of the issue.
“Many women and girls are unaware of their rights and the resources available to them. There is a need for increased awareness and education to combat this challenge. Men have a critical role to play in preventing violence and promoting gender equality.

“There is a need for a comprehensive approach that addresses the root causes of violence and provides support to survivors,” Martins said. The Project Manager of FIDA, Mr Fikih Obaro said there is a significant gap between the provisions of laws that prevent gender-based violence and effective enforcement. Obaro stressed that Nigeria has a plethora of laws against GBV, but that its implementation and enforcement are lacking.

According to him, because of a lack of enforcement and implementation, gender-based violence is on the rise. He said that FIDA intends to understand why the laws were not working, find ways forward and ensure that they worked.

“This dialogue looks more at prevention, trying to use legal frameworks and consultation to see how to end GBV by prevention. We look at social norms and indices that promote this violence and see how to address them.

“Within state institutions, we need those that are empowered to implement these laws. The traditional rulers and religious leaders who are in the communities where these offences are perpetrated will be able to have a synchronised pattern through consultation that all stakeholders have the same objective toward ending gender-based violence.”

The chairperson of FIDA Ikeja Branch, Mrs Veronica Eze, said that the dialogue was about assessing how far gender laws have been implemented. She noted that with the increase in gender-based violence across the country, it seemed that the laws were not working, adding that some of the socio-cultural beliefs and traditional norms which promoted gender violence should be checked.

A participant at the event, Mr Taofeek Adejare, who is the Secretary of Jama’at Islamia division one, Lagos, said that religious leaders have roles to play in the prevention of gender violence.

Adejare said that some issues concerning women’s inheritance were being misconstrued. He, therefore, called on religious leaders to imbibe teachings that upheld the rights of women and prevent gender violence.