The International Federation of Women Lawyers, (FIDA) has expressed its readiness to collaborate with the Kogi Government towards implementation of Gender Responsive Services.
FIDA also vowed to join hands with relevant stakeholders in the fight against Sexual and Gender Based Violence, (SGBV) including Child Early Forced Marriage, (CEFM) The Country Vice President/National President of FIDA, Amina Suzannah Agbaje gave the assurance in Lokoja recently, at a stakeholders consultative forum on implementation/status of gender responsive services for women and girls which was supported by Nigeria Civil Society Situation room with funding from UK International Development.
Agbaje lamented that Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and Child Early Forced Marriage (CEFM) remain challenges that significantly constrain women especially those marginalised and facing intersecting forms of discrimination or multi-deprivation.
Represented by the Kogi State Chairperson of FIDA, Barr. Lilian Okolo, she posited that the menace of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) requires a holistic and collaborative effort as survivors deserve to be treated delicately and with empathy at all stages of the criminal process, taking into cognisance their traumatic and psychological state.
While noting that there is poor awareness on the VAPP law in Kogi State, Agbaje stressed that “This Stakeholders Consultative Forum is intended to foster collaboration, partnerships, and experience shared learning on best practices for gender responsive service delivery for women and girls by state actors and service providers through a coordinated approach.
“This consultative forum is aimed at also improving networking by Civil Society Organisations in the state towards an improved GBV programming, prevention and response, while providing a platform for state and non-state actors to strategically unify strategies in mitigating cases of Gender Based Violence (SGBV) through policy influencing, ” she stated.
“At the end of this training, what we intend to achieve is to build the capacity of every participant for them to understand what a gender responsive budget is all about. As we know, Sexual and Gender Based Violence has become a menace in our society. We actually want to see preventive measures to forestall future occurrence”.
Agbaje also pointed out the need for the Kogi State Government to immediately declare a state of emergency on Gender and Sexual Based Violence in the state.
She listed poor funding, poor awareness, and lack of Sexual Assault Referral Centre, (SARC) as some of the challenges confronting the implementation of VAPP laws in the state. And added that the government should be responsive in helping to institutionalize the law in Kogi State.
Earlier in her remarks, the Assistant Programme Manager of FIDA, Ezinwa Obiajunwa, admonished the Kogi State Government to gazette the VAPP law in Kogi State.
Obiajunwa said “The fight against Sexual and Gender Based Violence, (SGBV) has been a case of one step forward and ten step back in the sense that we have a lot of political will by the government to enact responsive policies in the state. We have lack of interest in adopting VAPP laws.
” Since the Governors in Nigeria declared a state of emergency on Gender and Sexual Based Violence in 2020, that changed things. Many State Governors adopted the VAPP law and that has helped us a lot in trying to handle and respond to cases of sexual based violence. But it is very unfortunate that the VAPP law has been adopted in Kogi State, but has not been gazetted. If you already adopted a law, what is now the big deal to gazette it?
“Gazetting it will enable people to have access to it and know the law that is protecting them. It will also help in the testing of the law. If the law is gazetted in Kogi State and people are aware that these are what the provisions are, it will increase reportage.
