Ayade declares zero tolerance to Gender-based violence, commits to VAPP law

Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, has declared zero tolerance to all forms of Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) in the state.

Ayade said his administration was committed to ending all forms of SGBV and implementing the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Laws.

The Governor stated this in his forward contained in a document tagged Multi-sectoral Costed Action Plan for Effective Implementation of Cross River State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law (2023-2027).

The document which was made available to journalists in Abuja on Wednesday was presented to the Governor by the leader of the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi at the state government house, Calabar.

The governor observed that the Multi-sectoral Costed Action Plan is a significant process that underlines the commitment of the Cross River State Government towards the implementation of the State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law and other related Laws at sectoral levels for the total eradication of SGBV.

He said the Costed Action Plan (CAP) is an important relevant tool for the overall multi-sectoral response to ending violence against persons in Cross River State.

According to him, the plan offers a multi-sectoral and standardised approach that can be applied at all levels. He said the goals and activities of CAP are attainable in a specific timeframe.

“It is designed to guide all sectors and CSOS/NGOs in a collaborative response to all forms of SGBV and the establishment of zero tolerance for all forms of violence in Cross River State.

“While the state government has demonstrated commitment in eradicating SGBV through the passage of relevant laws, translating the Cross-River State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law into implementable practical actions at sectoral levels in the state remains challenging, with a persistent gap between commitments, human resources, capacity gaps and financial support.

“These challenges provide a strategic opportunity to develop a Costed-Action Plan (CAP) as a tool to build strategic resource allocation for the implementation of Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Laws.

“The CAP is a tool that will help produce results through clearly defined activities and targets, careful costing, and identification of actors responsible for implementation.

“Through the Costed Action Plan (CAP) for implementing the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, the government has identified intervention strategies for sectors that will directly impact the lives and welfare of the most vulnerable persons to all forms of violence in Cross River State”, the governor said.

He further stated that the document provides an implementation strategy and a clearly defined monitoring and evaluation component. It also includes an estimated cost package.

“The implementation of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law will only be possible when all these resources, especially funding are provided. It is expected that all our partners both local and international will contribute meaningfully to the implementation of all the activities designed for the eradication of SGBV in the state”, he noted.

He said the production of the Cross River State multi-sectoral costed action plan was supported by the UN-Women Spotlight Initiative Project and the facilitation was coordinated by
WARDC.

“The facilitation was undertaken through a participatory process that involved technical working groups from MDAs in the state and representatives of CSOs.

“The development of the Cross River State Cost Action Plan brings us one step closer to the implementation of the State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law and the elimination of all forms of violence in the state.

“Through the CAP, the State Government is strongly demonstrating its commitment to the eradication of SGBV and other forms of violence in the state.

“It is my pleasure therefore to commit the Cross River State Costed Action Plan to all relevant stakeholders for a successful implementation.

“All stakeholders have an obligation to participate meaningfully in creating a peaceful and safe environment for the growth and development of the state in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals”, the governor added.

Speaking, Akiyode-Afolabi hailed the governor for committing to the plan.

She said: WARDC is working in six states to pioneer the process, we are very delighted that Cross River is leading others in this regard by not just a costing action plan but ensuring that it’s multi-sectoral, giving each sector’s responsibilities and roles in ending violence against women and girls.

“This is a unique model and with the involvement of every sector and firm political will, achieving the SDGs target is gradually becoming a reality.
We thank Permanent Secretaries and Directors of the diverse sectors for their hard work in making this possible and the Joint UN-EU Spotlight Initiative, in particular the Country Representative, Beatrice Eyong and the Ambassador to the EU for their leadership and confidence in WARDC to facilitate the process.”