Health
THE Gender-Based Violence Management Committee (GBVMC) in Niger has blamed the
lack of evidence as the impediment to securing convictions against suspects of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) cases.
Dr Amina Bello, the wife of the Governor, and Chairperson GBVMC in the state disclosed this during a town hall meeting of stakeholders on GBV at the Emir’s palace in Minna.
The governor’s wife said “there is legislation against GBV in Niger. The state government recently passed a law
against rape and other forms of GBV.
“We have the law, but the problem is implementing it and the lack of evidence to prosecute suspects.”
Bello said that part of the functions of the GBVMC was to ensure that the legal policy on gender violence cases
was strengthened and the law applied in the right way.
She decried a situation where the state recorded 100 cases of gender-based violence between January and May
this year, noting that “many of the cases are rape cases but no enough data to prosecute the suspected culprits
“However, we are hoping that with the GBVMC, cases will be better reported with data.
“The law has punishment for offenders, such as 23 years for rape cases, but sometimes there are no strong evidence to convict the perpetrators.”
She revealed that the committee was planning to establish a standard legal procedure that would ensure that all the legal framework
against GBV were followed properly.
“I want to assure you that very soon the document will be out, and we will start implementing it,” she said.
She urged GBV survivors, parents, police and other stakeholders to collaborate with the committee to reduce and eradicate GBV
in the state.
Earlier, Mrs Mairo Mann, the Director, GBV Department in the state’s Ministry of Justice, said that the campaign against violence would be taken to all the emirate councils across the state.
Mann explained that GBV was not only rape cases, but violence such as battery, forced marriage, child abuse, teenage pregnancy, among others.
Mrs Esther Galadima, a participant from the Women Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Chanchaga Local Government Area, advised women to desist from sending their children to hawk on the streets.
She said such activities expose children to early dangers of being sexually abused and other vices that would affect their lives negatively.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Alhaji Umar Bahago, community leaders and some cabinet chiefs attended the occasion. (NAN)
-July 30, 2021, 14:10 GMT|
Tags: Committee says lack of evidence to prosecute suspects impeding gender violence cases
