N’East speakers move to end rape, child abuse

The Speakers of the Houses of Assembly from the North East geo-political have declared their commitments to ensure the passage of  (VAPViolence Against Person ProhibitionP) Act, to check rape and child abuse cases.

Rising from a roundtable meeting for lawmakers in the sub-region, the speakers said the passage and subsequent assent of the VAPP will put an end to the carnage on children and women.

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Speaking to newsmen after the meeting, Chairman of the Conference of North East Speakers and Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Suleiman, said gender-based violence was both human rights violation and a threat to public health.

He said the meeting was organized by Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC), with support from African Women Development Fund (AWDF), to assist the legislators in their responsibility as lawmakers to make laws that would benefit the people and protect them against all forms of social vices.

The speaker lamented that in 21st century, women and girls were still exposed to high level of sexual and domestic violence, rape, sexual exploitation with little opportunity to seek justice.

Suleiman added that the prevalence of violence against women and girls had made it expedient to make use of the constitution to protect them from all such exploitations and abuses.

The Executive Director of WARDC, Dr Abiola Akiyode, said the bill, when passed into law by respective assemblies in the sub-region, would address the issues encountered by both women and girls.

She lamented that the incidences of rape and sexual assault on girls and women do not seem to be subsiding, “as recent data from the Nigerian Police Force have showed that over 700 cases of rape were treated and convicted.”

She ascribed poor reportage of rape issues to stigma and shame, saying most women and girls prefer to conceal rape incidents to save themselves from embarrassment.