Groups Harp On Women Protection

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Justice For All in Collaboration with Civil Society Groups on Tuesday launched a handbook on “Guidelines For Responding to cases of violence against women”.

The event which took place in Lagos was attended by government officials, non-governmental agencies for women’s rights, the National Human Rights Commission, the police and other rights based agencies.

The guideline, according to Component Manager, the Justice For All, Jeff Ansell,  is in line with the British Government DFID  initiate to provide inclusive governance for all Nigerians.

“The issue of  violence against women is  receiving  attention in Nigeria  but this is not enough. Even in the United Kingdom we are not there yet and in Nigeria there is the need to do more to create inclusiveness and a gender-based system where women will have equal rights in the justice system. Women need the system to work for them,” he said, adding that a recent research by the British Council shows that there are increasing cases of violence against women as one out of three  women are victims of one form of violence.

The Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefuilre, who  was represented at the event stated that the state government does not treat violence against women with kid gloves.

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Mrs Orelope-Adefuilre added that government agencies have been equipped to check violence against women and such should not be treated as a domestic issue by police officers.

The eight civil society organisations which contibuted in the drafting of the guideline include BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights, Legal Defence and Assistance Project(LEDAP), Media Concern Initiative for Women,Children(MEDIACON),Partnership for Justice (PJ) ,Project Alert on Violence against women,West Africa Network For Peace building (WANEP).

Others include Women’s Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON) and the Women Rights and Health Project (WRAHP).

—Lucky Lawal

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