By Joseph Edegbo
Traditional, religious and women leaders as well as CSOs have asked the Kaduna State Government to create awareness around its Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law to reduce cases of Gender Based Violence in the state.
The leaders gave the advice in Kaduna on Wednesday when they declared their commitment to the Rise Up project on Violence Against Women and Girls, which is being implemented by the Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF).
The participants, including the media were of the view that majority of people in both urban and rural areas of the State are ignorant of the provisions of the law.
According to them, most of the perpetrators of the violence who appeared in court always claimed ignorance of the existing law, hence the need for the awareness.
The participants also spoke of the key role religious leaders could play in the enlightenment drive.
Earlier in her presentation, the Chairperson, Kaduna State Observatory Steering Committee on Violence Against Women and Girls, Barr. Amina Audi Mohammed had enumerated various Gender Based Violence covered by the Law, the consequences to perpetrators, rights of victims, service providers, application for protection order and jurisdiction of the court.
Some of the acts include, rape, sexual harassment and exploitation, forceful or early marriage, denial of inheritance and harmful traditional practices.
Speaking from Islamic and Christian perspectives, Imam Tanimu Musa and Rev. Dr. Sunday Ibrahim said the two religions are against discrimination and inequality among people who were equally created by God in the same image.
The two religions, the clerics emphasized, preach equity, fairness and justice which should be allowed to prevail in order to have a violent free and God-fearing society.
They faulted practices in most parts of the North where male children are preferred to females in terms of schooling as well as the denial of women from holding positions of authority among others.
These, they said, are denial of rights and discriminatory which should be discouraged for equity to prevail.
In a good will message, a former Director on Girls Education in Kaduna State Ministry of Education, Mrs Elizabeth David described the project as timely pointing out that most of the people in the State are ignorant of the law protecting women’s and girls rights.
She therefore advised benefiting communities to cooperate with the Rise Up project team in the cause of the advocacy to their areas.
In his opening remarks, the Executive Director, Africa Media Development Foundation, Mr Iliya Kure spoke of the problems associated with women and girls rights with guiding laws which most people are ignorant.
This, he said, necessitated the meeting with religious leaders in attendance to enlighten the participants drawn from the communities, their own perspective to Gender Based Violence.
Also speaking, the Project Manager and Rise Up Fellow, Mr Benjamin Maigari, who was greatly elated by the turn out, said the engagement is part of project activities in identified communities.
“We are about going to your communities where we will work with you to sensitise the whole community on the existing laws, as well as assist you with referrals to relevant social services,” he said.
The Project funded by Rise Up, is a program of the Public Health Institute of Johns Hopkins University, US and is being implemented in 12 identified communities in Kaduna North and Kajuru LGAs of Kaduna State.
