Critical stakeholders in Kogi State have been trained on awareness creation and implementation of the Kogi State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law (VAPP) 2022.
The workshop was organised by Participation For Behavioural Change In Development (PIBCID) and the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) in collaboration with the Kogi State Office of the Public Defender and Citizens’ Rights Commission (PDCRC).
In her remarks, the executive director of PIBCID, Rachael Akande, said the VAPP law was enacted as a result of many prevailing gender-based violence (GBV) and human rights abuses happening in Kogi.
She said the main thrust of the law is to eliminate violence in private and public life and prohibit all forms of violence against persons, such as rape, maiming of spouse, forceful ejection from home, forced isolation, acid bath, and killing, among others.
Akande said the VAPP law was meant to provide maximum protection and effective remedies for victims and punishment for offenders and other related matters.
Akande noted that the VAPP law was domesticated in Kogi in June 2022 but decried the low level of awareness by the general public.
She stressed the need to sensitise and train the critical stakeholders to create awareness and effective implementation to curb GBV in the state.
“The level of awareness of the provisions of VAPP Law 2022 in Kogi is still shallow compared to what we expect. We want more people to know about the law and take advantage of its provisions.”
Also, the director-general of Kogi PDCRC, Barr. Musa Idris said the state VAPP Law was enacted in June 2022 and domiciled with the commission.
Idris said the PDCRC had successfully handled several cases, including domestic violence, rape, and resolved several family issues as well as other cases, free of charge.
He said offences such as rape which attracted a penalty of 40 years imprisonment under the Penal code, now attracted life imprisonment under the Kogi State VAPP Law, 2022.
The resource persons spoke on “Appraisal of the Provisions of Kogi State VAPP Law, 2022” and “Overview of Offences and Punishment”.
Others included “The Roles of Protection Officers in Implementing the VAPP Law” and “Roles of Critical Stakeholders under the Kogi stare VAPP Law, 2022”.
The chief executive officer of Challenged Parenthood Network Initiative (CPI), Eunice Agbogun, said the successful implementation of the VAPP Law in Kogi demanded a collaborative effort from all stakeholders.