VAPP and widow’s protest in Abuja

Sir: Recent news report that some widows with placards of different inscriptions protested in front of the National Assembly over what they described as stigmatisation against them due to some cultural practices is a clear sign that it is not yet a new dawn for widows.

Speaking on behalf of the women, the President, Widows Support Network, Bibiana Okereafor, said that the stigmatisation against widows in Nigeria is getting worse by the day. Despite being an old practice that should have been a thing of the past, it is painful that widows in some states of the federation are still being denied access to properties and in some cases denied access to their own children without any known legal backing.

Recently, in Anambra, a young woman was paraded naked after the death of her husband. They accused her of having extra-marital affairs which they said caused the death of her husband. The list is endless.

As a people, we may lament over this news and possibly condemn in strongest terms the perceived perpetrators of such evil.  But if we can truly introspect, we can find out without labor that the above account is a sin we must all share in its guilt. No matter how long we live in denial, it remains a sin that cuts across ethnic/tribal diversities and religious inclinations. It predates the nation’s independence and remains nourished till the present time. We have in one way or the other violated women and children’s rights in the name of culture.

This absurdity persists despite the existence of the Child Rights Act coupled with the fact that on the May 25, 2015, President Goodluck Jonathan, signed into law the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) bill into law. This is after the Senate had on May 5, 2015, passed the Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 into law.

Among other provisions, the law prohibits female circumcision or genital mutilation, forceful ejection from home and harmful widowhood practices. It prohibits abandonment of spouse, children and other dependents without sustenance, battery and harmful traditional practices. The VAPP provides a legislative and legal framework for the prevention of all forms of violence against vulnerable persons, especially women and girls.

Considering these provisions, the question that is as important as the law itself is; how far have we fared as a nation in keeping to these laws and its provisions? Facts emerging from the referenced protest are that the nation urgently needs a higher level of initiative and creativity to address and confront brutal forces against human rights violations in the country.  To reverse this trend, the most important instrument to achieve this lies in the government’s willingness to fully domesticate and enforce the 1995 Beijing Declaration.  It will also be rewarding if our school libraries are equipped with cultural materials, so that students can carry out research and get valuable information that will help promote, protect and preserve our culture objective for posterity.

Jerome-Mario Chijioke Utomi is the programme coordinator, Media and Policy, Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA), Lagos.