By Peter Usman
Abuja (Nigeria) – A Non Governmental Organization, Cleen Foundation, has urged both the Senate and House of Representatives to pass the proposed gender and equal opportunity bill without delay.
The bill seeks to provide a legislation requesting to eliminate all forms of discrimination on the basis of sex and gender in public and private places.
Programme Manager, Cleen Foundation, Ruth Olofin, who made the call at a press conference in Abuja ,Nigerian capital also wants the state Governors to domesticate and commence operating the 2015 Violence Against Person Prohibition Act, VAPP immediately.
Olofin stressed the need for justice and security institutions in Nigeria to provide adequate protection and as well institute preventive laws in order to protect persons vulnerable to violence and guaranteeing friendly and accessible means of documenting reports from survivors.
According to her, “The 2017 theme:Leave no one Behind; End Violence against Women and Girls , is a reminder on the need to include those often neglected in our collective efforts to end Gender Based Violence, GBV.”
“Conflicts, security challenges and subsequent displacements have all brought new forms of violence against women and girls, with peculiarity of their situation serving as potential ground for neglect while focusing on meeting their urgent and basic humanitarian needs for food, clean water and shelter”
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Cleen Foundation Programme Manager further explained that some of the abuses on these vulnerable ones emanate from trusted partners, security, justice officials, who take advantage of the vulnerability of those in their protection.
“In Nigeria, the need to broaden the scope of the debate on addressing gender based violence from a focus on women and girls to include men and boys, find evidence in recent rising waves of domestic violence targeted at men”, she said.
Contributing, National Coordinator, Proactive Gender Initiative, Esther Uzoma, said Nigerians must take proactive gender sensitive initiative in addressing these horrendous acts of human right violation considering the fact that many have been abused.
Uzoma stated that Fundamental Right Enforcement Procedures should be used to enforce the right of victims, adding that the present GBV encompasses more than women and girls, adding that men and boys are also under attack.
She maintained that adequate measures must be taken to address the issue effectively and urgently.
