Cross River yet to domesticate VAPP Act 2015

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Cross River is amongst the states in the Nigerian Federation who is yet to domesticate the Violence against Persons Prohibition Act 2015 NEGROIDHAVEN has garnered.

This disclosure was made on Wednesday 9th and Thursday 10th December in Calabar the state capital metropolis during the Two Days Training of Media Personnel on SGBV Promotion and Reporting organised by Neighbourhood Care-vwell Foundation, NCF in collaboration with ActionAid and the Canadian International Development Agency, CIDA.

According to the Executive Director of Neighbourhood Care-well Foundation, Vicky Emmah-Emah, ‘the VAPP Act 2015, which should have been domesticated in Cross River, makes room for other forms of sexual violence’ which extant legislations fail to. Emmah-Emah noted that for instance the Criminal Code emphasises only penetration of female reproductive organ as commission of rape and sexual violence.

In an SGBV Case Analysis of the state capital metropolis, Calabar, rape accounts for 33 percent of sexual and gender-based violence, physical abuse accounts for 39 percent, denial of resources 8 percents; neglect 7 percent; denial of access to children 1 percent; threat to life 8 percent; murder 1 percent, and emotional abuse 3 percent.

Emmah-Emah mentioned that, in Nigeria, there are legislations which encourage Sexual and Gender-based Violence, SGBV, namely, Nigeria’s Labour Act especially section 55, Criminal Code in section 360, Police Act in section 127 and the Penal Code in section 55. However, the Child’s Rights Act, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, CEDAW and VAPP Act 2015 are legislative interventions aimed at compensating for the SGBV failings in extants legislative instruments.