Gombe: Group fumes over whereabouts of VAPP bill, says non-passage fueling GBV
As the world marks the 16th Day of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), the Violence Against Person’s Prohibition (VAPP) Alliance, Gombe State has expressed displeasure over the delay trailing the whereabouts of the VAPP bill while insisting that the non-passage of the bill was responsible for the continuous spike in cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the state.
Our correspondent reports that the Activism in Gombe which is supported by Education As a Vaccine is aimed at raising the needed awareness that would result into deliberate efforts at ending all forms of GBV in the state.
The group expressed the concern in Gombe on Friday during their visit to the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to advocate for the swift passage of the VAPP bill.
The Coordinator of the VAPP Alliance, Gombe State, Mrs Dudu Mamman Manuga lamented that despite the public hearing conducted in the state Assembly since August 2021, the bill was yet to be passed in Gombe state in spite several years of advocacy in this regard.
According to her, Gombe State happens to be one of the few states yet to have a VAPP Law to adequately address cases of GBV in the state and protect the rights and welfare of women and girls.
She decried the monthly spike in reported cases of GBV in the state while expressing worries that if the unreported had been reported, stakeholders in Gombe would have understood the weight that the danger of non-passage of the bill was subjecting women and girls to and why the Alliance was keen in ensuring swift passage of the bill.
“Imagine having 80 reported cases of GBV in one month and in some months, 83 and yet we still don’t have a VAPP law in 2021.
She lamented that the advocacy to have the bill passed in Gombe state started in 2019 at a time when no states in the North with the exception of Benue and Kaduna states, was yet to pass the bill and “till now we don’t know what is happening.’’
She added that Gombe may be the only state in the Northeast without a VAPP law as “Borno state passed theirs on Thursday, what is happening to us in Gombe, we don’t know.’’
Manuga queried “what is happening to our VAPP bill? Because we don’t know and we have no communication from the Gombe state House of Assembly on this matter and we are worried, concerned and that’s why we are asking if it will be passed or not.’’
Also present were the officials of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Gombe State who restated their support for the quick passage of the VAPP bill in the state while pledging to help facilitate engagements with relevant stakeholders to ensure collective effort at passing the bill.
Responding, Hon. Naomi JJ Awak, the Gombe Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development assured that the administration of Gov Inuwa Yahaya was committed to ensuring that the bill is passed in the state.
Awak noted that Gov Yahaya had already aligned himself with the call to see that the bill is passed in order to protect women and children as well as the vulnerable persons.
While commending Gov Yahaya’s determination to protecting women and girls in the state through efforts towards ensuring passage of the bill, Awak stated that within the shortest time possible before the year runs out, there would be good news in that regard.
In a similar vein, as part of events to mark the 16 Days of Activism, the Gombe state Government through the Ministry of Women Affairs, commenced the process of securing the release of some female inmates at the Gombe State Correctional Centre.
In company of Hon Awak to the correctional facility were the State Chairperson of Nigeria Association of Women Journalists Gombe State, Comfort Mukollo Ali, the Federation of the female Lawyers, President of National Council of Women Societies, Gombe State, Hauwa Musa and some Directors from the Ministry.
