Following its meetings with various stakeholders championing the cause to end all forms of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in Lagos state, a costed action plan for the next five years (2023 – 2027) has been drafted to implement and achieve the aim.
This was the thrust at a validation meeting organised by the Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) with support from EU-UN Spotlight initiative held recently in Ikeja, stakeholders from the Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Education, Office of the Public Defender, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) amongst other relevant bodies involved in the fight against VAWG.
Presenting the costed action plan, a professor at the Center for Gender and Humanitarian Studies, Redeemers University, Ilesanmi Oluwatoyin Olatundun, said that it is necessary for the implementation of policies in Lagos state on Violence against persons, domestic violence, rape, sexual and harassment issues including all other violence related concerns in Lagos state.
“This is in line with the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act 2015 enacted during the era of President Goodluck Jonathan, which other states are keying into. Bauchi state already has the costed action plan and so a lot of other states are trying to have theirs.
“This will help them engage with the government and international donor communities to seek for funds to implement these strategic documents for the total elimination of all forms of violence in Lagos state whether persons living with disability, male or female, out-of-school and whoever rights is violated. The document also has a proposition for the advisory and technical committee.”
Prof. Olatundun noted that as there are eight years to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), so once this document hit the ground and various MDAs in Lagos state, run with it, it means they have the next five years for their accountability measures so they can access how far they have gone. “Issues of VAWG have limited the actualisation of gender equality in Nigeria.”
Deputy Executive Director, WARDC, Mary George said the meeting is one of its approaches in advocacy and engaging policymakers and other key stakeholders. “We are engaging them to deliver on eliminating SGBV, all forms of discrimination against women and girls, harmful practices, and sexual and reproductive health rights.
“We want to also look at various multi sectorial dimensions of engaging gender mainstreaming of government policies and laws in Lagos state. Hence, we reviewed and validated the document that has been done on the development of a costed action plan to end VAWG in Lagos state.
“Before this time, WARDC has engaged sectorial leaders from various agencies to look at the implementing gaps and mobilising resources around gender mainstreaming of the activities in their sectors.
“We also expect to use the document as an engagement tool with the Lagos state government to look at ways of implementing some of the gaps at mainstreaming gender in its various applications and services within state and parastatals and to harmonise valuable resources to implement the activities relating the ending VAWG in the state.”
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