By: Valentine Adese (JP),
Women’s Rights Advancement And Protection Alternative (WRAPA) in order to push for the assent and implementation of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Bill, and Gender and Equal Opportunity (GEO) Law respectively, has organized a Strategic meeting between the Plateau State Coordination Committee, the State Legislature the State Executive and many other critical stakeholders in the legal implementation process.
The program, which was held at City Lodge Hotel Jos, organized by WRAPA and funded by African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), is aimed at legally and socially empowering Women’s Rights in Plateau and Kaduna States, as well as, formulating a strategic action plan.
The Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, who was humbly and ably represented by Hon. Esther Dusu, and who showed total support for the move to formulate an action plan to push on the Plateau State Governor, Simon Bako Lalong for his assent to the VAPP Bill, also assured WRAPA and the Coalition of CSOs present that, he would help to facilitate any other agreements reached after the meeting.
Hon. Dusu, also disclosed in an on-the-spot interview with Journalists that, “the Plateau State Speaker is already on the matter. He had a session with the Governor yesterday, and hopefully after the House Session today, when I brief him, he will think of other steps to take”.
Dusu however, lamented that, the overall objective of protecting Women and implementation of the GEO Law in Plateau State, being pushed by WRAPA, would have been achieved, if not for the differences in opinions among the state Legislators, created by the different political party platforms that they represent in the state belong to.
On her part, a former Commissioner of Plateau State, Mrs. Olivia Dazyem and a Human Rights Activist, Mr. Gad Shamaki, opined that, the non-implementation of the Law and signing of the Bill may have been caused by lack of political will, but further suggested that, the cause of the lack in political will should be looked into.
Speaking to Journalists concerning the meeting and its expected outcome, Madam Jummai Madaki, the Plateau State Coordinator of WRAPA said, the strategic meeting is different from others, as the Legislators in the Plateau State House of Assembly are directly involved in the meeting to find a way out.
She said, “We know the processes are difficult and challenging. It took over Eight (8) years to get one of the Bills signed into Law, but with this strategy of involving the Plateau State Assembly and other Government offices that are concerned with Laws and Women Affairs, there is high hopes that, we might achieve our objectives faster.
“We shall also look at this new dimension opened by the only woman in the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon. Esther Dusu and see how we can bring the leaders of the various political parties operating in the state, on a round table to discuss these issues and then find a positive way forward on this implementation”.
“These Bill and Law are not for the benefits of women alone, it includes men”. She added.
Earlier in her presentation, Madam Mary Izam (Esq) disclosed that, the VAPP Bill and GEO Law is all encompassing as it addresses issues of discrimination in all forms against men and women, and also helps to enforce the provisions of Section 42 of the 1999 constitution (as amended).
The Communiqué Coming Soon!
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