Good News! Stakeholders Proffer Solutions To Violence Against Women, Girl-Child

Stakeholders finally met in Ibadan to find solutions to violence against womenfolk.

News Rain Nigeria reports that some concerned Human Rights organizations led by the National Human Rights Commission met in Ibadan to discuss a way forward on the issue of violence against women and girls child.

The concerned stakeholders at the conference Hall of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion at the Agodi Secretariat Ibadan the Capital City of Oyo State deliberated on rapid justice in favor of the victims of the violence against womenfolk.

Stakeholders Proffer Solutions To Violence Against Women, Girl-Child

The meeting which had in attendance the representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA),  the State Commissioner of Ministry of Women and Social Inclusion, Legal Aid Council (LAC), the Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), the Sexual Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), The National Orientation Agency (NOA), Journalists, the representative of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), the Human Rights Agenda Unit of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

While speaking on the theme of the meeting, the State Coordinator of the National Human Rights Commission, Ms. Akintayo Olamide said, the aims and objectives of the meeting are to share field experiences as it affects cases of violence against girls and women and to also deliberate on ways forward on how the ugly menace will be put to an end, or to the barest minimum in our society.

The meeting is part of the 16 Days activities of the Activism of the National Human Rights Commission on Violence Against Women And Girl in our society, maintained that the cases of violence against girls and women are on the rise on daily basis in the State and we are here to deliberate on ways to curb it.

“We are here to discuss on how the perpetrators will be made to face the wrath of the law for the offense committed, also to discuss on the mechanisms to be adopted that will make the trial of such cases be faster in court and where the victims will be satisfied with the level of Justice received on such cases,” Olamide said.

The meeting held at the Conference Hall of the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion had in attendance some representatives of major stakeholders that are saddled with the responsibilities of fighting legitimately on the Rights of women and female children in our society.

Making his contribution known at the meeting, the representative of the State Chapter of the NBA, Barrister Ibrahim Bashir called for camera trial of rape cases, stressing that in most cases lawyers lost the case due to negligence of the victims as a result of stigmatization, noted that rape cases should not be allowed to take place in open court where the victims will become subject of discussion and this at times leads to stigmatization.

He said rape cases should be treated and attend to as urgent because, long adjournment of such cases will definitely result in loss of vital evidence and that can result to loss of such case, stressed further that, if we can have an avenue where the rape and violence against women can be a trial at the Magistrate Court and even at the Justice Chamber within shortest court adjournment of two to three months, perpetrators will be made to face the full wrath of law they committed and the victims will not be subjected to any form of stigmatization because the trail is not done at the open floor of the court.

The State Coordinator of the Sexual Gender Base Violence, Mrs. Dupe Awosemusi of the Sexual Gender Base Violence (SGVB), commended the Human Rights Agenda Unit of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, for a well-done job and timely response to cases of violence against women and girls in the state.

Mrs. Awosemusi stressed that the State Command of the NSCDC is so committed when it comes to the cases that are related to the issue of violence against women and girls child in the state, noted that their timely responses to cases and diligent investigations of cases of assault on womenfolks in the State cannot be overemphasized.

She however called on the other security agencies to take a clue from the NSCDC to make our society free from the menace of violence against women and girls child, stressing that the fight against violence against womenfolk should be a collective and all-inclusive one.

At the end of the meeting, all the stakeholders, called for a holistic approach to the issue of violence against women and girls child, noted that the issue required no rhetoric any longer but an action that will provide some mechanisms that will result in rapid Justice done in favor of the victims and where the defaulters will be made to face the music over the crime committed.