Stakeholders in Jigawa State have demanded the establishment of five Sexual Assault Referral Centres across the state and functional forensic laboratories to enforce the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, lamenting that the single existing centre is grossly inadequate for 27 local government areas.
The call was made during a two-day State Level Policy Dialogue: Bridging the VAPP Law Implementation Gap: Strengthening Capacity, Institutional Compliance and Duty-Bearer Accountability, held from Tuesday to Wednesday in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital.
Arewa PUNCH gathered that the dialogue, organised by CLEEN Foundation with support from the Norwegian Embassy in Nigeria, attracted a broad spectrum of duty-bearers including lawyers, judges, officials of NAPTIP, National Human Rights Commission, Nigeria Correctional Service, Legal Aid Council, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Women Affairs, the Police, other security agencies, women groups and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs.
According to our correspondent, the interface comes amidst rising concerns over the widening gap in the implementation of the Jigawa State VAPP law, which was signed into law on 24th February, 2021 to tackle cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, SGV, rape, physical violence and harmful traditional practices occurring across the state.
Checks show that Jigawa is among the 13 states in the federation currently implementing the VAPP law, yet stakeholders say implementation has remained largely on paper due to institutional and logistical gaps.
However, records presented at the event show that one out of every four girls in Nigeria faces sexual violence, a statistic stakeholders said makes full implementation of the law non-negotiable in Jigawa.
Speaking during the technical session, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Jigawa State branch, Barrister Hamza Umar, decried the lack of forensic facilities as categorically prescribed by the VAPP law for evidence gathering.
Barr. Umar said, “We cannot secure conviction when we have no forensic lab to prove rape cases scientifically. The law requires forensic evidence, but in Jigawa we have zero facilities. We are still relying on mere confessional statements which the court may reject.”
He also faulted the non-publication of convicted rapists as provided for in the VAPP law, noting that the provision for name-and-shame has been completely ignored, thereby emboldening perpetrators.
On her part, a representative of the coalition of women groups in the state, Nafisa Hallilu, said women and girls are the worst hit by the failure to decentralise SERCs and provide survivor support.
Hallilu stated that, “A survivor from Hadejia or Gumel has to travel over 100 kilometres to Dutse to access the only SERC. Many can give up on the way. If we are serious about justice, we need at least five SERCs, one in each emirate zone to bring services closer to the people.”
She added that cultural and religious beliefs continue to stifle reporting of SGV cases, as some families prefer to settle cases out of court, a practice she said frustrates the spirit of the VAPP law.
During the general discussion session, stakeholders brainstormed on the way forward, emphasising the need for training and retraining of all actors on the law for consistency, comprehension and success of the overall goal.
Participants also recommended the urgent amendment of the Jigawa VAPP law to fill lingering lacunas and gaps identified in the last four years of its implementation.
Another major resolution was the need to strengthen consistency of campaigns and creation of awareness, particularly at grassroots, faith-based institutions and traditional institutions to change the narrative that SGV is a family affair.
Also of concern, according to stakeholders at the event, is that enacting a law that the government know it cannot implement just for the sake of it amounts to deceit; hence the need for the government to back it with budget and political will.
Earlier, while making his presentation on the Principles and Spirit of the VAPP Act, the Senior Program Officer of CLEEN Foundation, Mr Olaniyi Olumayowa, said the dialogue was designed to bridge the gap between law and practice.
Olumayowa explained that the VAPP law goes beyond punishment to focus on protection of survivors, compensation, institutional compliance and duty-bearer accountability.
He stressed that without SERCs, forensic labs, and trained personnel, the law cannot achieve its intended purpose of deterrence and justice.
In an exclusive interview with Arewa PUNCH shortly after the event, Mr Olumayowa shed more light on the rationale behind the dialogue, saying the goal is to ensure Jigawa moves from domestication to effective implementation.
“We supported Jigawa to domesticate this law in 2021, but domestication without implementation is an empty achievement. What we are doing is to bring all duty-bearers to one table to identify where we are failing and how to fix it,” he said.
He advised the Jigawa State Government to prioritise budgetary allocation for establishment of additional SERCs and forensic facilities, while calling on all stakeholders to think forward and embrace a survivor-centred approach.
According to him, with sustained training, amendment of the law, publication of convicts as a deterrent, and massive public awareness, Jigawa can become a model for VAPP implementation among the 13 implementing states in the country.