The Minister of Woman Affairs and Social Development, Dame Pauline Tallen, has urged Nigerians not to take advantage of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), especially relating to Gender Based Violence (GBV) to avoid God’s wrath.
She made the call on Thursday in Abuja at the ‘Investiture of Award of Excellence on 66 Young Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria’ organized by the Inclusive Friends Association (IFA).
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- https://dailytrust.com/first-lady-cautions-police-against-extorting-gbv-victims
Tallen said that GBV is one of the worst crimes against humanity and it is even worse if committed with PWDs.
She said, “I feel emotional whenever I receive reports of gender-based violence on those with disabilities. These are heartless mindless people who could go an extra mile to rape those that are we some form of disability and I am happy that inclusive friends have taken it upon themselves to fight it.
“I want to exclude all the bad people from the society and rapists or anybody that inflicts any form of gender-based violence on any woman worst of all those with disabilities will not leave well. God will surely punish them and they will end up like beast
“Don’t take advantage of these people because if you take advantage of them, you are inviting the anger of God on you, I warn you and I appeal to those fond of that evil to desist from it. These are people that needs our love, they need our support, they need our understanding they need to live to live happy in the society.”
The minister also said that the ministry’s advocacy for the Child Rights Act had gone a long way because a lot of states had signed it into law.
“When I came into office, there were only nine that had domesticated the VAPP Act but today I am proud to say we have 23 that have domesticated the Child Rights Act, today, we have 28 states that have domesticated.
“I join you to celebrate the 66 advocates with disabilities that will be awarded today with Award of Excellence in their efforts to fight gender-based violence and to support those that have been abused,” Tallen said.
She also urged all women and Nigerians to stand by those with disability in every form and to say no to all forms of violence against women, girls, especially those with disabilities.
Speaking earlier, Executive Director IFA, Grace Jerry, said that the organisation with support from Ford Foundation began ‘The Amplifying Voices Project’ in February 2021 with the objective of training young persons with disabilities from selected states as fellows to combat GBV perpetrated against PWDs.
According to her, this was because from previous engagements with PWDs it was realized that discrimination, stigma and stereotypes played significant roles in building the silence culture among survivors of various forms of violence.
Jerry said, “This fear has resulted in cases of violence against persons with disabilities largely unreported and has also rendered such survivors voiceless and invisible. IFA therefore saw the need to build a network of youth advocates with disabilities and improve their capacity to spotlight and address incidences of gender-based violence against women and girls with disabilities across the country.
“Two youth advocates with disabilities were selected from two states in each of the six geopolitical zones with the highest cases of GBV recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic for the first and second Cohorts. The third Cohort had 20 participants each from Lagos and The FCT respectively.”
She said that in the course of implementing the project, some key findings were revealed including the ignorance of PWDs and their family on what to amounted to violence, poverty among others.
She, therefore, urged that more PWDs, their family members and care givers should be enlightened on what Disability Based Violence is and education should be made free for PWDs of school age.
Jerry urged the media to take it upon themselves as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to report issues of PWDs so as to enlighten the public.
She also urged the government to strengthen social protection systems and mainstream such programs to cater for the needs of persons with disabilities and implement the five per cent employment quota for PWDs to tackle poverty.
On her part, Director-General, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dr. Fatima Waziri-Azi, the gender issues surrounding womanhood are further deepened when they are faced with the challenges of disability, which inform their being marginalized.
Waziri-Azi represented by the Head Reforms, NAPTIP, Dr Ebele Ulasi, said that NAPTIP saddled with the responsibility of nipping the menace of human trafficking in the bud and the protection of the vulnerable came up with some measures to enhance the rights and access to justices for PWDs.
She said, “These include giving access to justice through the Agency’s Disability Desk where cases of PWDs are properly investigates and offenders made to face the wrath of the law and NAPTIP has recorded several successful convictions.
“The Agency adopted a gender mainstreaming approach in drafting its disability policy which is being revised for publication. Giving gainful employment to PWDs that has informed gender equality and disability inclusion action at all levels in the agency among other measures.”
