Mercy Corps, in collaboration with International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), on Tuesday held a roundtable to address issues of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and peaceful coexistence in Kano State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that event was attended by security agents, lawyers, sexual assault referral centres, among others.
Mercy Corps representative, Ms Amina Bello, said that the roundtable was also to advocate for the domestication of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act.
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Bello said that the participants would come out with strategies through which to end violence against women and girls and promote peaceful coexistence in Kano state.
The Mercy Corps official said the roundtable would also review other initiatives including the Women Peace Councils which comprised of 360 diversed women in Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Benue and Plateau states, to promote peaceful coexistence in communities.
Bello expressed concern over rising cases of SGBV in the country, including Kano state.
Ms Fatima Ahmad of Women’s Rights Advancement Protection Alternative (WRAPA), presented a paper on “Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and the Nigerian Legislation”.
She revealed that some of the SGBV related issues were tackled by various provisions in the 1999 Constitution, Penal Code, Criminal Code, Child Rights Act and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act.
Ahmad however said some of the laws needed to be reviewed to provide harsher punishment to offenders, while some of the provisions have become obsolete.
According to her, the rise in SGBV cases in the country was largely because the punishment is too light and will not stop the perpetrators.
“A statistics obtained from WARAKA Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Kano, alone showed that in 2021, 835 cases of SGBV were reported at the centre.
“Out of the number, 615 survivors were girls, while the remaining 220 were boys.
“There are a lot of unreported cases particularly in rural areas,” she said.
Ahmad urged the public not to keep silent on the matter and ensure adequate protection of SGBV survivors in the society. (NAN)
