The fight against SGBV, how far? – Part 2
21 December 2021 |
4:20 am
According to her, the SARCs Network has in just eight years, grown from a single centre in Lagos to 32 SARCs across 19 states in Nigeria; assisting 23,207 survivors of sexual assault combined, between July 2013 and September 2021...
[files] Gender Based Violence
According to her, the SARCs Network has in just eight years, grown from a single centre in Lagos to 32 SARCs across 19 states in Nigeria; assisting 23,207 survivors of sexual assault combined, between July 2013 and September 2021, over 70 per cent of whom have been children under the age of 18 years. However, despite the remarkable expansion and spread of the SARC initiative in Nigeria and stronger focus nationwide on the provision of comprehensive medical and counseling services for survivors, the number of SGBV cases reported to SARCs is still a poor representation of the scale of sexual assault in the country.
The number of SGBV cases that are prosecuted are very few compared to the number of reports. As a result of this, over the years there has been a growing call for the establishment of specialised courts for SGBV in Nigeria to address delays in the justice process.
This is why the National Programme Manager, RoLAC, Mr. Danladi Plang, has called for the establishment of separate courts to prosecute the cases of SGBV.
Most recently, this call was echoed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), who stressed the inadequacies in the adjudication of these cases in the present system. Malami’s call followed the inauguration in 2020 by President Muhammadu Buhari, of an inter-ministerial management committee on eradication of sexual and gender-based violence, a demonstration of the government’s renewed commitment to comprehensively address SGBV and protect victims.
Malami, while speaking at the mock trial, also called for the training of investigators and prosecutors as specialists in the handling of SGBV cases in Nigeria. He noted that it is imperative to train these first responders in the access to justice spectrum on evidence collection and storage, intelligence gathering and reporting, evidence analysis and chain of custody preservation stressing the need for the establishment of more SARCs across the country.
On her part, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Dame Pauline Tallen, called for stiffer punishment to SGBV offenders in the country to deter others. Tallen who described the rising cases of SGBV in Nigeria, called for action while supporting the laws enacted by Kaduna State Government, which prescribed castration as a punishment to sexual assault offenders.
According to her, “two or more of those sexual offenders should be castrated publicly” to serve as deterrence to others.
Quoting statistics, Tallen disclosed that, the National Situation Room and Dashboard set up in the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs under the UN/EU Spotlight initiative targeting six states supported by UNDP as of November 24, 2021, totaled number of cases reported to be 5,204 of which 3,125 survivors are demanding justice and only 33 perpetrators have so far been convicted, representing 0.51 per cent. The fatal cases are 160, closed cases 231, while open cases (cases pending in court) are 972.
The minister noted that the trend is unacceptable, and efforts will be intensified with the Federal Ministry of Justice to ensure justice for victims and survivors. She employed all relevant ministries to engage, amplify advocacy to the States and rural communities for further enlightenment in this regard.
Chairperson of the SARC in Nigeria, Prof. Joy Ezeilo, explained that some of these things keep going on because of low accountability and low prosecution of this case. She noted that the evidence and sometimes little technicalities can make a very viable case pathetic not to lead to a conviction.
“That is the problem we are trying to convey best practice about prosecution and what changes the law have brought, like the VAPP Law, the NAPTIP ACT. They brought in innovations, which connoted gender offence is not just committed against a woman, with this you see the good, the bad and the ugly.”
On his part, the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Mr. Tony Ojukwu, while lamenting the growing cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in the country, said that between 2020 and March 2021 alone the Commission received over 139,780 complaints on SBGV, enjoined stakeholders to focus more attention on public education/awareness on SGBV and implementation of extant laws and policies that will entrench the culture of accountability around gender issues.
Ojukwu appealed to Civil Society Organisations (CSO), traditional authorities, and religious leaders to be at the forefront in tackling the scourge of SGBV saying that more sensitisation is needed at the grassroots level so that people will become more conscious of protecting and enforcing their rights and the consequences and punishments that await any culprits.
Concluded.
Ojo wrote from Lagos.
Related
Latest
29 mins ago
Gov. Bassey Otu of Cross River says his administration has provided a matching fund of N100 million to scale up food and nutrition interventions in the state.
1 hour ago
Officers from the Ikotun Police Division, Lagos State have rescued three children who had been locked in a room for days by their grandmother. Police spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement on Friday, stated that an investigation is ongoing on the matter. Hundeyin disclosed that the children have been kept safe while the grandmother…
1 hour ago
A neighbourhood in the southern Serbian city of Nis will be evacuated on Sunday due to the removal of NATO projectiles found in the area, said the city's emergency situations headquarters on Friday.
1 hour ago
Condoms are essential for safe sex, but sometimes they can feel like a barrier to intimacy, both literally and figuratively. However, with a few tweaks and a change in mindset, they can become part of a pleasurable sexual experience. Listed below are ways pleasure and protection can intertwine seamlessly while using condoms. 1. Ditch the…
1 hour ago
Russian strikes on Ukraine in the early hours of Friday killed at least eight people, including two children, as Kyiv said it shot down a Russian strategic bomber for the first time.
1 hour ago
A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit filed by seven senior advocates of Nigeria against the National Judicial Council (NJC) and others over the alleged unlawful appointment of judges in Kogi.
1 hour ago
Police have arrested one Emmanuel Victor who is the principal suspect behind the Killing of a student of Abia State University (ABSU) Uturu, Emmanuel Uche, during a cult clash. In March, a viral video surfaced on social media, showing a 400-level History and International Relations student, being attacked by members of a rival group within…
1 hour ago
A Burundi journalist has been charged with "endangering internal security", an offence that risks up to life in prison, her lawyers and relatives said, accusing the authorities of beating her during interrogation.
1 hour ago
At least 23 people have been killed in an attack by bandits on the Anguwar Danko community in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, according to a community leader. The attack, which occurred Wednesday night, has yet to be confirmed by Kaduna State Police authorities. A leader in the community, Zubairu Abdulrahuf, told…
×
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.
0 Comments
We will review and take appropriate action.