By; ALEX UANGBAOJE, Kaduna
A consultant for Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative’s (WRAPA), Social Empowerment Programme on Women’s Rights Project, Barr. Rebecca Sako-John, has disclosed that the efforts by Civil Society Organizations and their partners for the effective implementation of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law in Kaduna State is yielding results.
Sako-John, said this during a Social and Legislative Advocacy meeting with key actors on the implementation of Model Laws in Kaduna State.
She revealed that for the first time, the State House of Assembly, has budgeted over N1.6bn for citizens engagement and also increased the budget for committees and commissions expenses from N1bn to over N1.6bn, making the legislature’s 2023 budget for the implementation of the VAPP law increased to over N3bn.
According to her presentation, the Ministry of Justice, also budgeted over N300m for both court processes, witnesses and legal services in the 2023 budget.
She added that both the state Ministry of Health and Ministry of Human Services and Social Development, also have budget for SGBV related issues.
Sako-John, commended the all CSOs working to ensure an effective implementation of the law for the support in the fight against SGBV in the state, noting that their efforts are will not go unrecognized in the state.
Earlier, the State Project Officer of WRAPA, Barr. Bukola Ajao, noted that the meeting was meant to put forward effectual and realistic pathway for the speedy passage of the GEO Bill and the effective implementation of the VAPP Law in the State.
She added that the meeting was also planned to update stakeholders on the progress so far made on the implementation of VAPP Law and the GEO bill and to agree on the way forward.
WRAPA is supported by the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) to implement a two-year project titled “Legal and Social Empowerment Programme on Women’s Rights in Kaduna and Plateau States.
“This project seeks to achieve the effective implementation of the Violence Against Person’s Prohibition (VAPP) and Passage of the Gender and Equal Opportunities (GEO) Laws in Kaduna State, which seeks to eliminate gender-based violence against women and girls and promote equal opportunities for beneficiaries of the project intervention, (women and girls).”
