By Philip Yatai

A gender activist, Mr Stephen Waya, says breaking the circle of silence on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) cases is key to ending the scourge in communities.

Waya, the Head of Gender and Social Inclusion, Coalition of Associations for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment and Development (CALPED), stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Wednesday.

The activist, who spoke against the backdrop of the 2023 global observance of the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence Against Women and Girls, blamed the rising cases of GBV on inability of survivors to speak out.

NAN reports that the 16 Days of Activism is an annual international campaign that runs from Nov. 25, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, until Dec. 10,
which is Human Rights Day.

The campaign was started by activists at the inauguration of the Women’s Global Leadership
Institute in 1991 as organising strategy by individuals and organisations around the world to
call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.

The global initiative is aimed at raising awareness about the devastating impact of violence on women and children, and the social fabric of the society.

It is also aimed at challenging discriminatory attitudes and call for improved laws
and services to end violence against women for good.

It has “UNITE! Invest to prevent Violence Against Women and Girls” as the theme for 2023.

Waya, therefore, said that the 16 days of activism would create the needed results if stakeholders worked together to break the circle of silence and encourage survivors to speak out.

According to him, silence is one of the key challenges to justice for GBV survivors and stressed the need for community approach to address it.

He said “we want the victims to come out and speak out so that justice can take its course. Not much will be achieved if no one is speaking out.”

Waya added that the community-based approach would provide a platform for reporting GBV cases in communities, adding that currently, there are no community centres for survivors to walk in and report.

He said that using the community approach, some respectful women in a community could be designated as point of contact for survivors to reach out to for guidance on the way forward.

He disclosed that CALPED had organised a one-day community-based approach to end SGBV in commemoration of the 2023 16 days of activism against SGBV.

He added that during the community engagement, some women were nominated to guide other women and girls on what to do when violated on the basis of gender.

Waya said that the nominated women would be trained to strengthen their capacity on how to handle GBV reports, where to go, or what to do to ensure that survivors get justice.

He also stressed the need for parents to be close to their children, spend quality time with them and listen to them to make it easier for the children to speak out when violated.

He pointed out that families were the closest point of contact which should make reporting of GBV cases a bit easier.

The gender activities also identified lack of confidence in the judiciary as another huge challenge fueling GBV in communities.

He explained that the lack of confidence in the judiciary was discouraging survivors from speaking out because those who reported had not gotten justice.

“For example, there is a law in Kaduna State that provided for the castration of a perpetuator of rape.

“But so far, no one has been castrated, despite the huge number of rape cases being recorded in the state. As such, the implementation of such law is very key to serve as a deterrent to others,” he said. (NAN)

Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

By Philip Yatai

Mr Yusha’u Abubakar, a gender activist, has called on the Kaduna State Government to increase investment in gender programmes and interventions to win the war against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

Abubakar, who is the Executive Director, Enhancing Communities Action for Peace, and Better Health Initiative (e-CAPH), made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Wednesday.

Abubakar said that the call is in line with the campaign theme of the 2023 16 Days Activism to End Gender-Based Violence (GBV) — “Unite! Invest to Prevent Violence against Women and Girls.”

NAN reports that the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is an annual international campaign that runs from Nov. 25, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, until Dec. 10, which is Human Rights Day.

The campaign was started by activists at the inauguration of the Women’s Global Leadership
Institute in 1991 as organising strategy by individuals and organisations around the world to
call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.

The global initiative is aimed at raising awareness about the devastating impact of violence on women and children, and the social fabric of the society.

It is also aimed at challenging discriminatory attitudes and call for improved laws
and services to end violence against women for good.

However,  the gender activist said that not much would be achieved if governments at all levels do not invest hugely in interventions and programmes to end the scourge.

He said “we checked the state’s 2024 draft budget and realised that not much was provided for GBV in the budget.

“We presented our concerns during the 2024 Budget Townhall, and we are hopeful that the concerns will be captured in the final budget estimate submitted to the state House of Assembly for approval,” he said.

He described GBV as a “power dynamic between the strongest and the weakest”, and stressed the need for survivors to report and hold duty bearers accountable.

He said “e-CAPH is working with relevant government agencies and relevant stakeholders in the state to address increasing GBV incidences.

“What we are doing is to engage relevant stakeholders at different levels – traditional and religious leaders, school pupils, young people, and women groups to collaborate and work together against GBV.

“We are also working with the Nigerian Police, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, and other stakeholders to ensure coordination and working as a group as against working in silos.

“We are equally working with government agencies, particularly the Ministry of Human Services and Social Development, including the commissioner, Hajiya Rabi Salisu, to strengthen  government’s response to GBV cases in the state.

“However, the bottom line is that government needs to spend more to achieve the desired results,” he said.

Abubakar expressed concern that the number of GBV cases in the state was still high, stressing the need for the government to operationalise Family Courts where GBV cases could be prosecuted.

He said that the courts, if operationalised, would speed up the prosecution of perpetrators and dispense prompt justice to survivors.

He said that an official data from the state shows that 1,051 cases were reported in 2023 in the state, adding however, that only 10 got justice.

“Therefore, this minimal justice for the survivors is significantly contributing to the high number of GBV cases being recorded in the state.

“The Commissioner for Human Services, Hajiya Rabi Salisu has assured us that the Family Courts which have been designated, will begin sitting in January 2024 and we commend the government for this,” Abubakar said. (NAN)

Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

By Philip Yatai

The Legal Awareness for Nigeria Women (LANW), an NGO, has decried the non-utilisation of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law by lawyers in Kaduna State.

The acting Executive Director of the NGO, Mrs Hannatu Ahuwan, made the complaint in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Wednesday, in commemoration of the 2023 16 Days of Activism to End Gener-Based Violence (GBV)

NAN reports that the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is an annual international campaign that runs from Nov. 25, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, until Dec. 10, which is Human Rights Day.

The global initiative is aimed at raising awareness about the devastating impact of violence on women and children, and the social fabric of the society.

It is also aimed at challenging discriminatory attitudes and call for improved laws
and services to end violence against women for good.

It has“UNITE! Invest to prevent Violence Against Women and Girls” as the theme for 2023.

Ahuwan, therefore, said that while state and nonstate actors would continue to commemorate the 16 Days of Activism, relevant laws needed to be in place to ensure justice for survivors.

She explained that the VAPP law aims to prohibit all forms of violence against persons in private and public life and provide maximum protection and effective remedies for victims and punishment of offenders.

She, however, said that the non-utilisation of the law by lawyers in the prosecution of perpetrators of GBV in the state was undermining ongoing efforts to end violence against women and girls.

She said “for us in Kaduna State, lawyers are not using the VAPP Law to prosecute offenders of GBV.

“One of the reasons according to some of the lawyers is because rape was not captured in the law because it was already captured in Penal Code, which the layers use.

“Another reason, according to the lawyers, is because the penalties in the VAPP Law are not as stiff as that of the Penal Code.

“But beside rape cases, there are other forms of GBV that were captured in the VAPP law which are relevant in the prosecution of GBV cases.”

She, therefore, called for the implementation of the VAPP Law and the Administration of Criminal Justice Law with a view to stemming the tide of GBV in the state.

She said that LANW, under the SGBV Justice Network (SJN), a cluster under the USAID-Palladium funded project, is advocating for review of the VAPP Law to address the lawyers’ concerns.

“We are calling for the use of the VAPP Law, as well as the review of the law to make the punishments stiffer for lawyers and prosecutors to find it usable and effective in prosecuting GBV related cases,” she said.

The acting executive director also called on the Kaduna State Government to evolve a coordinating mechanism for the implementation of GBV issues in the state.

She pointed out that the state’s Ministry for Human Services and Social Development, Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Health are all provided specific responsibilities in addressing GBV.

Ahuwan, however, said that no specific ministry was saddled with the responsibility of coordinating the GBV response in the state, a development she described as “counterproductive.”

She equally called on the private sector to support the Sexual Assault Referral Centres in the state with equipment, drugs, and test kits among other needs to enable them function effectively.

She expressed concern that sometimes, GBV survivors had to pay for some tests or drugs, which according to her, is not helping their situation.

She said that the 16 Days of Activism to end violence against women and girls was contributing to the high number of GBV being recorded in the state.

This, according to her, is because people are becoming more aware and are speaking out.

“But nonetheless, we still have people perpetuating the act even by those who knew it was wrong, including lawyers who should know better.

“Incidences are still high, in spite of awareness campaigns, indicating that more needs to be done.

“Another challenge is that people have not heard so much about those who were prosecuted and punished over violence against women and girls.

“Although 10 persons have been prosecuted in the state, many people are not aware of it to deter others from committing the acts.

“Incidences of GBV will reduce If people knew that they would be punished for committing such crimes.” (NAN)

Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

By Philip Yatai

A Kaduna-based NGO, Empowering Women for Excellence Initiative (EWEI) on Wednesday, advocated for a fixed term for trial and prosecution of offenders of Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

The Programme Officer, Gender, Mr Mendie Jeremiah, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna, in commemoration of the 2023 16 Days of Activism to End GBV and harmful traditional practices against women and girls.

NAN reports that the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is an annual international campaign that runs from Nov. 25, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, until Dec. 10, which is Human Rights Day.

The campaign was started by activists at the inauguration of the Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991 as organising strategy by individuals and organisations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.

The global initiative is aimed at raising awareness about the devastating impact of violence on women and children, and the social fabric of the society.

The global campaign has “UNITE! Invest to prevent Violence Against Women and Girls” as its theme for 2023.

Jeremiah, therefore, said that the absence of a fixed term in the trials of GBV offenders in courts was delaying justice for survivors and reducing people’s confidence in the courts.

He said that beyond designating a family court that would try GBV cases and other family related issues, specific term should be fixed within which a GBV trial should be concluded.

This, according to him, will speed up the delivery of justice and restore people’s confidence in the judiciary.

He added that “be it rape case or domestic violence, once a case is in court, it should have a timeline for the conclusion of prosecution, and this can happen only when we have specific courts for prosecution of GBV.

“As such, we are calling for full implementation of Family Court.

“We are also calling on government to ensure full implementation of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, and other legal instruments put in place to address GBV.

“Under our Safe Spaces project, EWEI established a toll-free line for GBV survivors and their relations to call, report cases and access the first line of support and make referrals to appropriate authorities.”

He explained that the NGO was also working with the National Union of Road Transport workers to stem sexual and GBV in motor parks and other public places under the “We for Them” project.

“The goal is to make men champions of GBV because men are better placed in communities to drive change, particularly religious leaders in Church and Mosques.

“We want more men speaking out against GBV.

“Our current project — ‘Together We Can’, being implemented in Kasuwan Magani, Kajuru Local Government Area and Kujama in Chikun Local GGovernment Area of Kaduna State are also to address GBV.

“Part of their activities are to train health workers, both private and public, on how to attend to survivors of sexual violence and provide first line support,” Jeremiah said.

The gender programme officer also called on the Kaduna State Government to fast-track plan to establish forensic laboratory to support investigation and prosecution of offenders. (NAN)

Edited by Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu