Oyo Partners NGO’s, Sensitize Judical Officers On Violence Against Person Prohibition Law 

Oyo State ministry of Justice in partnership with Center for Population and Reproductive Health and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have sensitized Judical Officers on violence against person prohibition (VAAP) law and it’s implementation.

The discussants at the two days workshop which was held in Ibadan Oyo State, are Judges, Magistrates and Head of Grade A Customary Courts who delibrated on the VAPP Law jurisdiction and rights of victims, protection order, collaboration, sexual offenders register, reading and adoption of communique among others.

While briefing journalists during the workshop, the Co-ordinator of Oyo State Sexual and Gender based violence response team,  Dupe Awosemusi, stressed on the need to sensitize the judicial arm of government on the VAPP law which was passed in Oyo state in December 2020.

“We are here to brainstorm the enforceability and implementation of the law. The Judiciary is to interpret the law and once they are well equipped with the provision of the law, it will be easier for the people of Oyo State to take cases to them and have access to justice.”

Awosemusi stated further that the workshop is meant to equip the judicial system in the state ahead of the task and also expose them to the provisions of the law.

“if you observed, you will see that we are taking the laws paragraph by paragraph and section by section, to see perhaps if there is any provision or any parts of the law that looks cumbersome, that will be able to prepare us to work towards amendment because there is no point having a law that cannot be enforced. We are looking at the enforceability of the law and implementation of the law, because having the law is not as important, as implementing the law.

“The Judiciary is to implement the law, and that’s why we are having them here and we are sensitizing they about the provision of the law just to see if they have any concerns about the enforceability of the law, they will tell us and we will brainstorm on it and see how we can work on it. Awosemusi said.

She however urged the government to do more by placing more policies and political will to enforce the law and also called on residents of the state to support the state government to make the work more easier by speaking up whenever faced with any form of violence.

Also, the Deputy Chief Registrar of the Family court in Oyo state, Kehinde Yetunde stated that the workshop organized will see to the reduction if not total eradication or elimination on violence against person in Oyo State and Nigeria in general.

According to her, the judicial system is the last point of contact in any case while she urged the Police and other agencies  not to tamper with any case brought to them so as to give room to the judicial system to run a smooth case.

“Judiciary are the last results, some other stakeholders will have been reached before coming to us so it takes two to tango, if they do not mess up with the evidences they have. That is the reason why they need to extend their sensitization to the police, NSCDC and other law enforcement agencies who are the first point of contact, because we can’t do it alone, those people are the area of first call, we are the last hope of the people, so if those people at the beginning do not mess up with the case there is no how the judiciary will mess any case up. Kehinde stressed