THE EXECUTIVE Director, Nana Girls and Women Empowerment, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Dr Fatima Adamu, has identified inadequate funding and silence as some of the major setbacks crippling the fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Nigeria.
She stated this during a stakeholders’ sensitisation programme, tagged “Roundtable discussion on implementation of Violence Against Person Prohibition (VAPP) law in Kebbi”, held in Birnin Kebbi on Friday.
The sensitisation roundtable was organised by another NGO, Women Voice and Leadership (WVL) Project.
WVL Project is being funded by Global Affairs Canada and managed by ActionAid Nigeria, and the sensitisation featured a roundtable discussion on implementation of Violence Against Person Prohibition (VAPP) law in Kebbi.
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The executive director said finance remained a huge stumbling block to achieving the desired goals and objectives of right against GBV, observing that the abuse usually affected the less privileged in the society who “are busy looking for what to eat”.
“A case of this nature requires money to cater for medical examination and transportation among other expenses and in most cases families of the survivors cannot shoulder the bill,” she said.
Adamu also said interference in GBV cases by some highly placed politicians and some rich persons in the society posed a challenge to the success of the fight, adding that some of those people go to the extent of bribing judiciary officials and security agencies to have their way out.
While lamenting that some of such people use their influence to pay-off the parents of survivors to close the case, she said others influence an order from above to close the case.
Adamu said: “We brought different community-based organisations together and we called ourselves Coalition of Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) Against Gender Based Violence in Kebbi.
“The primary objective of the roundtable discussion is to facilitate an open and constructive dialogue among key stakeholders.”
The Chief Medical Director (CMD), Kebbi Medical Centre, Kalgo, Dr Nura Kangiwa, identified lack of cooperation from parents, compromise by security agencies and judicial workers as well as collaboration as some of the challenges militating against the success of the fight.
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He advocated for involvement of the media so as to be publicising the cases to prevent further interference by the big and influential people.
NAN reports that experts, representatives of NGOs, security agencies and government officials, among other stakeholders, brainstormed on challenges and possible ways to actualise the success of the fight.
The speakers recalled that Kebbi State Government had about two years ago signed into law the VAPP Act,
but they noticed that there was complete silence about the law, underscoring the need to find out its implementation and challenges. The critical stakeholders agreed that the roundtable was just the beginning, while suggesting that it should be organised annually or bi-annually to reflect on the challenges and successes recorded on the implementation. (NAN)
