Violence against women: Network of journalists tasks states on VAPP Act

To eliminate violence against women in the country, the Network of Reproductive Health Journalists of Nigeria (NRHJN), has requested the immediate signing of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act 2018 (VAPP Act 2018) into law by all states of the federation.

NRHJN believes that the domestication of the Act by the 36 states of the federation would go a long way in addressing all forms of violence against women in the country.

The network made the request in a statement to commemorate the 2018 International Women’s Day, celebrated across the globe recently.

According to the statement signed by its President,Mr. Roland Ogbonnaya and Secretary, Mrs Yinka Shokunbi respectively, NRHJN decried the lukewarm attitude of most of the state governments to issues of sexual and reproductive health and rights of all persons especially women and girls.

The network noted that such lukewarm attitude would grossly affect the development and total wellbeing of women and girls in the country if not urgently addressed.

The network applauded the recent historic signing into law of the Act by Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State which now brings to four the number of states that have passed the VAPP Act since it was introduced in 2015 by the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

NRHJN described the introduction of VAPP Law in the state as a welcome development because Ogun State has one of the large burdens of domestic violence, incidences of reproductive health challenges such as teenage pregnancy, and child sexual abuse in the country.

It therefore, called for the immediate domesticaton of the VAPP Act in all the other states which were yet to do so as to give women and girls some sense of social justice and security from violent and abusive tendencies.

“So far, the states which have domesticated the Act include Anambra, Oyo, Ogun and the FCT while Lagos and Ekiti have each passed laws against Violence Against Women. The extent of the effect of the non-passage of the VAPP Act to Nigerian women will be worsen by the consequences of the reinstated expanded Global Gag Rule of President Donald Trump of the United States in 2017”,the network said.

Speaking on consequences of the Global Gag Rule on sexual nd reproductive health of women, Country Director, Ipas, Nigeria, Hauwa Shekarau notes: “More than 22 million women every year—almost all in developing countries—will have an unsafe abortion because they lack access to safe, high-quality abortion care.

“It’s worse in Nigeria where the law criminalises abortion and women’s access to reproductive health services such as family planning contraception is dependent more on donors fund some of which have had their funds cut due to the GGR because of their involvement in providing abortion services in many countries around the world”.

Shekarau went on: “The Global Gag Rule will not only hurt abortion access or access to contraception but other forms of health care.

On his part, Chairman Association of Advanced Family Planning, Nigeria (AAFPN), Dr Ejike Oji, commended Amosu for the effort. He noted that the Law if well enforced would promote the good health of the people of Ogun State especially women and girls who ae often at the receiving end of domestic violence, harmful traditional practices and sexual abuses.

Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Women Advocacy Research and Development Centre, Dr. Abiola Akinyode- Afolabi said: “Arguably, the tenets of Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, will indeed bring relief and effective remedies to millions of victims who have suffered in silence without recourse to justice.

Abiola observed that even though several states have similar version of the act passed into law, a total of 23 states is needed to pass the VAPP ACT for it to become a national law in the country.