Kano State House of Assembly have been urged, to domesticate the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Bill (VAPP), and the Kano State Child Protection Bill, to enhance the fight against sexual and gender based violence
Gender officer, Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Hajiya Zainab Aminu, made the call during a road walk to commemorate 16days activism against gender based violence,from NAPTIP Kano office to Kano state house of assembly.
According to her, the aim of the road walk was to create awareness on GBV and advocate for the speedy domestication of the bills by relevant stakeholders.
The gender officer decried the rising cases of GBV in Kano, saying that, the Centre had recorded over 800 cases of rape, domestic violence, sexual abuse and online harassment from January 2022 to date.
Zainab Aminu stressed that, if passed the laws would go a long way in curbing the menace, where perpetrators would be prosecuted to have a safer society.
She expressed concern over the delay by Kano State House of Assembly, in passing the Child Protection Bill, adding that, domestication and implementation of the act would help to curb gender- based violence in the state.
Gender-based violence must be put to a stop because it is an evil act. It ranges from rape, battery and child molestation, among others “
Also speaking, Head of Department Sexual and Gender Based Violence, National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Person’s (NAPTIP), Kano zonal command, Hajiya Rasheda Aminu Ibrahim highlighted that, lack of VAPP Act in Kano limits the prosecution of SGBV offenders.
She said, NAPTIP zonal command which compromise of Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kaduna and Bauchi states, was committed to eradicating sexual and gender based violence, child labour and molestation, human trafficking among others.
” Everyday we receive cases of SGBV,the limitation we have is lack of passage of the VAP act,even when they are arrested they have right to bail”
In his remarks, the Executive Director of CELOHA Nigeria, Mustapha Sa’id Kano, said they were at Kano state house of assembly to seek for the support of the lawmakers in making the VAPP act a reality to protect women and children.
Responding, Deputy speaker Kano state house of assembly who doubles as Chairman house standing committee on Women Affairs, Alhaji Kabiru Hassan Dashi reiterated the house commitment in passing the bill within the shortest period.
He said, a public hearing on child protection bill was organized by KNHA to collate inputs from the public, stressing that, the delay was to consult the different sects in line with cultural and religious teachings.
The road walk, organized by CITAD in collaboration with NAPTIP, Civil Defence, YOSPIS, Girls Gate Initiative, Bridge connect Africa initiative and CELOHA, witnessed large turn out of young men and women carrying placards with different inscriptions on the need to eradicate SGBV.
Khadijah Aliyu