EU, UN congratulate Adamawa govt. on assenting to Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law

The European Union and United Nations in Nigeria have congratulated the Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Fintiri, on assenting to the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law on Wednesday.

Edward Kallon, the UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, said the UN commended the effort of the state governor in signing into law the bill as passed by the state House of Assembly.

“We commend the efforts of the State Assembly, civil society organizations and all stakeholders who were instrumental to this process. Indeed, the efforts of these grass root organisations as pioneers of change and the high political will of the Executive and Legislative arms of governance within the state is what has resulted in the milestone passage of the VAPP law in Adamawa State.

“This important landmark reflects the State’s commitment to ensuring dignity and justice to vulnerable members of its society. With the passage of the Bill, citizens of Adamawa State (especially its women and girls), are now better protected by law from abuse and harmful practices”, the UN coordinator said.

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Alexandre Borgis Gomes, Deputy Head of EU delegation to Nigeria tasked both state and non-state actors to embrace the law and support its translation into an instrument of change and development.

He said: “The EU commit to fully supporting Adamawa State as it prepares for the enforcement of the VAPP Law within the State. We would like to remind all stakeholders (state and non-state actors, community leaders, religious leaders, disability rights groups, women and youth-led organisations, law enforcement agencies, media organizations among others) to sustain efforts around disseminating the provisions of the Adamawa State VAPP law and supporting its translation into an instrument of change and development for the State as well as greater women’s human rights and economic empowerment.”

Meanwhile, Hadiza Aminu Dorayi, National Coordinator, Spotlight Initiative, reiterated the organisation’s support for Adamawa state government towards building gender parity society.

She remarked: “The United Nations and European Union has mainstreamed gender into all its financial commitments and instruments, with allocations through the Spotlight Initiative and other projects aimed at empowering women and girls to achieve gender equality. We would like to reiterate our full support and cooperation as we continue working with the Adamawa State Government towards gender parity. We use this opportunity to encourage states that have not yet passed the VAPP law to do so as a way of prioritizing the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 5 on women’s rights and empowerment.”

Access to Justice is a critical element that would be essential to the success of the VAPP law.  It is time to finally put an end to the continuing culture of silence and impunity.

There is need to ensure that perpetrators of violence are severely punished according to the provisions of the VAPP Law and all relevant stakeholders are held accountable towards ensuring the implementation of the law in its full effect and used for the benefit of the community members especially women and girls.