Osun State Government has been charged on the full implementation of the Administration of the Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) and the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law (VAPPL) in the State.
The Non-Governmental Organization, the
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Justice Network Cluster in conjunction With USAID-SCALE made the charge on yesterday at the Sensitization session with media practitioners and journalists, Osogbo, Osun state capital.
Speaking, the Program Coordinator, Community Advancement Initiative for Self-Reliance (CAI4SR), Mrs. Eni Ayeni,
said that there is a need for the government to have a specific agency or ministry that will oversee the activities related to SGBV cases in the state.
Ayeni noted that the absence of a coordinating agency to oversee the cases related to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the State has made Osun lag behind other states.
She explained that the primary focus of the program is to advocate for the full implementation of the Administration of the Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) and The Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law (VAPPL) in Osun State which were domesticated In 2018 and 2021 respectively in Osun State.
She said that several crucial components of these laws are currently not in place in the state.
She urged the government to create more Court rooms for SGBV Cases to avoid Justice delay.
Ayeni noted that it is important for government to create a sexual offenders register to track and monitor convicted individuals to ensure they don’t commit further offenses and safeguarding potential victims.
According to her, “We are advocating
for two laws and their full implementation the Administration of the Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) and The Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law (VAPPL) there are certain things in those laws that are not in place in Osun State that we are trying to advocate the government should put in place.
“Today, we engage media and journalists in Osun state to use their platform to push out those advocacy act as a cluster to government so that what needs to be in place for the law to be fully implemented.
“We require a Functional Sexual Assault Referral Center (SARC). Although in Osun State at Asubiaro Hospital, it currently remains non-functional. Advocates are urging the government to ensure that the SARC is fully operational to provide critical support to survivors of SGBV” She noted.
However, the organization’s Board of Director member, Benjamin Oluropo urged journalists and media practitioners in the State to use their platforms to raise awareness and drive the necessary advocacy to prompt the government to act.
Oluropo emphasized that these actions are essential steps toward a safer and more secure environment for the. residents.
He said CAI4SR, AGBANI FARMS, Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), LAWYERS ALERT(LA), League of Women Voters Of Nigeria, Legal Awareness For Nigerian Women, and Ikra Foundation for Women and Youth Development (IFWYD) and other collaborators remains committed to working alongside the government and the media to ensure the full implementation of these critical laws, ultimately contributing to a safer and more secure Osun State.
