A coalition of civil society groups has called on states and local Governments in the country to domesticate the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act which was passed into law in 2015.
The groups comprising the Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), Women Advocacy Network and Allamin Foundation for Peace and Development which held a media briefing weekend, also called for policies to bring perpetrators to book.
The Senior Programme Coordinator of WRAPA, Anisah Ari, who led the coalition during the briefing disclosed that WRAPA and the other groups have been at the forefront of advocacy for the protection of the rights of women who have been victims of sexual violence.
“We hereby demand that the government puts in place policies that will bring perpetrators to book. Yes, the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act has been passed since 2015 but the is really limited. So far, it is being implemented in very minimal level in the FCT.
”Also States are yet to domesticate it. So we are calling on government both at the state and local government level to domesticate it and not just to domestic it but to ensure that it is enforced. We are very good in developing and passing laws but we do not think of how these laws are going to impact on the people.
Ari disclosed that a research conducted by WRAPA which, she said would soon be made public confirmed that allegations of government officials and security personnel accused of sexual violence in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps were true, adding that when the victims report the incident to the police, they are frustrated due to the items they are asked to make available to prove their claims.