Posted by In an effort to raise awareness of Edo State’s Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a call to action to all relevant stakeholders.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Friday, Mr. Olumide Dosumu, who is the commission’s coordinator in Edo, made the call.
In response to what he called “rising cases of rape in the state,” the coordinator emphasized the need to address the threat of SGBV through the VAPP Law.
According to NAN, the VAPP Act of 2015 aims to do away with violence in all its manifestations, both in public and private spheres. It outlaws any kind of violence against individuals, ensures that victims have adequate protection and remedies, and punishes those responsible.
According to Dosumu, “the VAPP law in Edo is the basic law that addresses GBV issues, unfortunately, quite a number of people are still not aware of the law, especially law enforcement officers.”
Unfortunately, I was just at a program where a number of CSOs committed to printing more copies of the VAPP Law.
Physical copies will be distributed to the Edo Police Command, which would thereafter distribute them to each police division in the state.
When someone has a legal obligation to uphold the law but is unaware of that obligation, things get tricky.
“Trained on how to implement the law will be the next step once they have it.”