GBV Prevention: ActionAid, Osun Govt Trains Legal Officers, Others On Prosecution Tools With VAPP Law
By Abisola Ariwodola,
On prevention of Gender Based Violence against women and children in Osun state, ActionAid Nigeria in collaboration with Osun state Ministry of Women Affairs, Children and Social Welfare; Multi-Stakeholders Action Committee has trained legal officers and others on the usage of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition VAPP Law.
The trainings’ intent was to support the legal luminaries and security operatives with adequate knowledge needed to prosecute Gender Based Violence, GBV cases successfully with the VAPP Law in the court.
The Lawyers, both in public and private practices were trained with the aim of full implementing the Violence Against Persons Prohibition VAPP Law 2021 of Osun state, which has been in existence, to prepare a good ground for the future on gender abuse prevention.
Speaking at the workshop held at the Ideal Nest Conference hall, the Commissioner for Women, Mrs Ayobola Fadeyi-Awolowo commended the deliberation on the Implementation and enforcement of violence against persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law in Osun state to ensure the protection of the vulnerable in communities.
She described the VAPP Law as a tool by the government, a crucial step forward in safeguarding human dignity, promoting gender equity, and holding perpetrators accountable, and she urged the legal luminaries to use their pivotal role, not only in interpreting and applying the law but also in and championing the right course and advocating for justice for those who are often voiceless.
Commending ActionAid Nigeria GBV Prevention project funded by Ford Foundation, and hammering on the essence of Unity, Hon Ayobola said the collaboration by stakeholders in Osun state, which is to prevent and end GBV, is to be embraced with deeper understanding of VAPP vital legislation, its practical applications and to address any challenge in its implementation, and she also commended the state Ministry of Justice.
In his lecture tagged analysing the salient provisions of the VAPP Law, Hon Justice (Dr.) Adedotun Onibokun stated that the statistical rate of GBV is alarming, hence government and stakeholders who have the responsibility of maintaining law and order, putting in place several measures to curb violence and reduce it to its barest minimum.
He opined that Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law of Osun State 2021, as a tool specially in prevention and protection of women, girls, children, and other vulnerable population needs full public awareness, improved implementation and monitoring mechanisms, and access to Justice.
He also asserted that the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law of Osun State, 2021 (Osun VAPP Law) is a domesticated version of Nigeria’s Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act 2015, and was enacted to address violence in various forms, including physical, sexual, psychological, and economic abuse within Osun State.
Giving overview of the Provisions of the 2021 Osun VAPP Law, Justice Onibokun said the law places an obligation on the state Government to stop all forms of domestic violence in it’s environs and protect all individuals within the Osun State jurisdiction, notwithstanding their gender, age, or status and also prohibits all forms of violence against persons, including domestic violence, sexual violence, harmful traditional practices, and economic abuse.
Using the practices in other jurisdictions such as Lagos state as a case study, he added that the VAPP Law will ultimately give punishment to offenders, and that the offence may attract life imprisonment as well as listing any offender in the sexual offenders’ register, as a deterrent to others.
Commending the provisions of the VAPP Law of Osun State as laudable and encompassing, he pointed out that the existence of the law is not the same as its enforcement or implementation, and he urged and gave recommendations to Osun State government to do more in the area of implementing and enforcing the provisions to promote the effectiveness, and he called on stakeholders to unite to create a safer society.
Also speaking on Institutional and Procedural Framework of the VAPP Law, Barrister Kayode Titiloye, stated that the effective usage of the VAPP Law tools will provide maximum protection and effective remedies for survivors of violence, protects citizens and residents of Osun state from all forms of sexual and gender-based violence in private and public life, and provides legal frameworks and to protect survivors of culturally harmful practices like widowhood practices, denial of inheritance on the basis of gender, forced marriage or Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
He affirmed that judicial interpretation of VAPP Law prohibits gender and sexual violence, and prompted the legal practitioners on the need to understand that the kind of relief they seek on GBV cases, should be one that provides solutions to the women, children, (victims of gender based violence).
Earlier in his address of welcome, the Osun state Chairman of the Multi-Stakeholders Action Committee on GBV Prevention, HRM Oba Dr Adedokun Abolarin Aroyinkeye 1, commended the purpose of the training, which is to help lawyers who are the core members of criminal justice system, retool and grow critical capacity to be able to effectively drive the implementation of VAPP towards achieving its objectives.
The representative of Human Rights Commission Mrs. Nneka Anigbo hinged on the importance of victims and witness protection program in the criminal justice system especially in sexual and domestic violence related offences as well as the need to safeguard victims’ rights when prosecuting violence against women in order to prevent victimization, stigmatization or revictimization.
Calling out that rights protected by VAPP are Human Right Based, she pointed out that the problem of out-of-court settlement of gender-based violence cases by family members without the consent of rape victim should be shunned, especially where the victim is a minor, added that this is needed to address the mistrust of victims of the criminal justice system.