The wife of the Osun State Governor, Mrs. Kafayat Oyetola, has on Tuesday presented the VAPP law in the state, AMILOADED reports.
The law was presented by the Osun First Lady at the Government House Banquet Hall in Osogbo, the state capital.
Speaking, Mrs Oyetola stated that the VAPP law became necessary in order to arrest the upsurge in the incidence of rape and sexual violence in Osun State.
The Osun First Lady added that some of the issues covered by the law include “rape, causing physical injury to persons, female genital mutilation, causing fear to persons, false statements against persons, isolation and abandonment of spouses, children and dependents, spousal battery, and political violence, among others.”
She said, “I am particularly delighted to be addressing you formally today on a key issue that would make life safe, healthy and better for every family in our state. This is the issue of eliminating and preventing every form of violence in our state.
“Gentlemen of the Press, you would recall that in 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to drastic decision of locking down our cities and towns, we suddenly witnessed an upsurge in the number of cases of rape and violence against women and girls. This upsurge was reported across states in Nigeria.
“Our dear state was not excluded as we had our share of the caseloads. Interestingly, just as women and girls suffered violence and abuse, information were also received that our boys and men also suffer psychological and sometimes physical violence, especially from intimate partners.
“The development led to meetings of the wives of the governors in our country and we took a resolution to tackle the challenge through active engagements of stakeholders.
“Here in Osun, we triggered our advocacy and our campaigns. During the campaigns, we realized that there was a gap in the legal instruments available to tackle some of the gender-based violence that occur or could possibly occur. Yes, we had various laws that had been passed by the House Assembly such as the Criminal Code Cap 34, Volume 2 of 2002, the 2013 Protection Against Domestic Violence law and the Child Rights Law of the State of Osun 2007.
“All these laws were designed to tackle the issue of violence against women and girls as well as our men, who also suffer gender and domestic violence in some forms. However, because of certain noticeable gaps, especially with regards to the scope of violence and the weight of punishments, there was a need to further strengthen the laws through the passage of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act.”
Mrs. Oyetola continued, “Recall that this Act had been passed by the National Assembly in 2015. States were required to domesticate the Act and make it specific to their respective needs and circumstance. The domestication that would help strengthen our extant laws in Osun were however left undone.
“We realized this gap and commenced work on getting the VAPP law passed in our state. In June last year, my advocacy team was received by the Speaker and members of the House of Assembly. We took a few issues to the House, which included the passage or domestication of the VAPP law, in order to arrest the upsurge in the incidence of rape and sexual violence.
“The VAPP bill was made more comprehensive to cover additional issues such as substance use and abuse in order to inflict SGBV and judicial protection of victims of SGBV against publicity.
“Issues covered by this law include rape, causing physical injury to persons, female genital mutilation, causing fear to persons, false statements against persons, isolation and abandonment of spouses, children and dependents, spousal battery, and political violence among others. The law also provides comprehensive window of rights to victims of violence. Gentlemen of the Press, this a law that seeks to guarantee abundant life for our people.”
She, however, thanked the Osun State House of Assembly for the passage of the VAPP bill, saying, “You have contributed to making our society a better place to live in. I also thank Mr. Governor who signed the bill into law on October 11, 2021, a date that bears significance to the female gender, the day of the girl child.
“It is now left to everyone of us in this state to put this law into use by actively avoiding every form of offences captured and reporting same to law enforcement officers where we see any occurrence.
“I urge everyone in this state to join in this campaign and make our state a violence-free state. Let me thank our leader, Governor Gboyega Oyetola for his commitment and dedication to better life in our State and the unprecedent priority being placed on the welfare and interest of women.
“On this note, I consider it a great honor and privilege to now present this law to you and members of the public for the great benefit of the people of this state. Let us work together and make our state violence-free, the best in Nigeria,” the Osun First Lady stated.
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