UNFPA pledges to support FG on curbing gender based violence
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has assured Federal and State Governments for continued advocacy and support for enactment and domestication of required laws to tame Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the country.
The organisation made this known in a statement issued by Mrs Kori Habib, the Media and Communication Specialist of UNFPA Nigeria, on Wednesday in Abuja.
The statement said the fund reiterated its commitment for Zero Tolerance to GBV, adding that it will support capacity building of front-line response providers such as law enforcement agents and the judiciary.
It said the agency would also support awareness campaigns and sustainable data management to support ending the scourge in Nigeria.
The statement noted that the commitments became necessary following growing cases of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) reported recently in the public domain.
It added that notable cases of VAWG that caught public attention included a 13-year-old Elizabeth Ochanya-Ogbaje, who was allegedly raped to death by a father and son in Benue in 2018.
Another notable case it cited was that of a popular blogger, Ms Linda Ikeji, who brought the attention of two boys who allegedly drugged and raped their victim in Lagos in recently.
The statement also recalled the story of Gift Alonge, who suffered countless incidences of sexual assault and defilement in the hands of her biological father.
It equally noted the case of a young woman who was brutalised by a group of young men in Benin City through the insertion of pepper in her private part.
“All these cases of violence and the countless number of unreported cases, are symptoms of a larger malaise, which require urgent national attention.
“UNFPA appeals to all states in Nigeria to domesticate and enforce the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act.
“UNFPA also calls on relevant actors to take advantage of the VAPP Act to address the scourge of violence against women and girls in Nigeria,” the statement read in part. (NAN)
