Absence Of Stiffer Penalties Responsible For GBV Rise In Nigeria — CSO

The executive director, Centre for Gender Economics in Africa (CGE Africa), Uchenna Idako, has advocated stiff penalties for offenders of Gender Based Violence (GBV), saying that lack political will by governent at all levels to prosecute offenders has been responsible for increased cases of the menace in the country.

She said that it is only when stiff penalties were meted to offenders that the ugly trend could be stopped.

The executive director made the call during an interactive session with LEADERSHIP at the end of a project inception meeting, which took place in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, on Wednesday.

Idako stated that the reasons why GBV has remained on the increase was as a result of absence of consequence, saying that once the law begins to punish offenders, pepetrators of the act would break the circle of violence.

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Speaking on the theme; ‘Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) for GBV Prevention and Mitigation in Cross River State’, Idako averred that the only way partners can end the abuse of thier spouses was when those perpetrating the act get punished.

“What we are saying is that, wishful policy statements by Governents are yet to solve issues of violence in offices and domestic areas against partners.

“What will solve it is making money available for it to ensure that Governent budget, not funders, not only international donor agencies and ensuring that this money are released so that those preventive measures can be complemented.

“What is making gender-based violence going backward is lack of consequence, lack of political will to bring offenders to book.

“If you begin to bring offenders to book, GBV would be stopped. We are advocating for consequences, religious bodies, cultural bodies, everyone should come out to support the advocacy and ensure that people who are culpable are dealt with.

“Enough of this ‘please forgive, it’s a family matter, we want to settle out of court’. Those abusing those partners whether men or women should be made to face the wrath of the law to halt that circle of violence,” she stated.