Group wants legislation on violence against women, children in Enugu

The Legislative Advocacy Coalition on Violence Against Women (LACVAW), has called for effective legislation to check the rising cases of violence against women and children in Enugu.

To this end, the coalition urged the state House of Assembly to domesticate the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act 2015.

The coordinator of the group in Enugu, Mr Chukwudi Ojiedo, made the call on Wednesday in Enugu during a strategic meeting for stakeholders on the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act.

Ojiedo said that such legislation would also provide protection for children and men, who had become objects of molestation by their female counterparts.

He said it was sad that much had not been done by the state Houses of Assembly in the country to domesticate the VAPP since its landmark passage into law.

It will be recalled that the VAPP, a brainchild of the coalition, made up of no fewer than 50 civil society organisations and other individuals, came into effect when it was passed by the 7th National Assembly in May 2015.

It was also assented to by former President Goodluck Jonathan on May 23, the same year.

Ojiedo said that the level of gender-based violence in the state had made it imperative for interest groups to call for the domestication of the act.

“Most people including, men, women and children are passing through the worst forms of violence and there are no laws to protect them.

“With the way the violence is spreading with new dimensions, we need a bill to address our present situation,” Ojiedo said.

Also speaking, Mrs Nkechi Nwabueze of the Women Aide Collective (WACOL), Enugu, said that violence against women, children and men had assumed an alarming proportion.

Nwabueze said that the three -year- programme of WACOL, had unearthed 642 cases of rape, defilement and violence.

She said that out of the number, cases of rape were 533, attempted rape, 16; sexual assault, 23 while 15 other cases were unclassified.

She said that the most frightening was the 402 cases involving minors below 18 years.

“Our younger generation is mostly affected by this scourge and we have to tackle the problem now,” she said.

Nwabueze said the most worrisome was that WACOL was only able to record one successful conviction against the perpetrator due to a lacuna in the law.

“There needs to be an enabling legislation to prosecute offenders; by the time some people are punished for this, it will deter others,” she said.

Nwabueze said that it was also on record that most men were passing through worst forms of abuses by their wives but had chosen to remain silent to keep their pride intact.

The Executive Director, Women Information Network, Mrs Miriam Menkiti, said that they had come together to reduce gender-based violence and other forms of violence in the society.

Menkiti said that it was heart-warming when the VAPP Act was assented to.

She said their efforts were now on how to get the various state Assemblies to put up the necessary legislations in order to domesticate same in their states.

Source: NAN