By Palma Ileye
Federal Government through the Ministry of Women Affairs in its continued fight against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, SGBV, has said it will set up mobile courts for quick dispensation of justice for victims of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Women Affairs, Barr Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye during an interactive session with Journalists at the Ministry’s Headquarters in Abuja.
Kennedy-Ohanenye stated that “the Mobile Court will be in collaboration with the Attorney General of the Federation, the Minister of Justice, the Nigerian Governor’s Forum, Security Agencies, Civil Society Organisation, CSO’s to have innovative ways to enforce Violence Against Persons Prohibition, VAPP, Act, 2015 and other laws to curb the menace of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence as well as Female Genital Mutilation, SGBV, GBV, FGM/C.”
She stated that the idea of having the mobile court was to ensure quick dispensation of justice for the survival of the voiceless in line with Mr President’s renewed hope agenda, saying that they will work to allow the poor to breathe and not suffocate.
The Minister said that those who were still practising Female Genital Mutilation, FGM, would also be tried in the mobile courts so as to bring to an end this old traditional practice.
In her words, “The Mobile Court will be created for Gender-Based Violence and Child molestation, the victims will report to the Ministry and the Ministry will go to the Mobile Court for Justice.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Investment has opted to “encourage Women Groups to form Cooperatives registered with the Ministry so that the Ministry can empower them with different production machines to boost Nigeria’s economy, livelihood of Women and nation building.”
“The Ministry has opted to encourage all women groups to form cooperatives and register with the Ministry so that the Ministry can empower them with different production machines to boost Nigeria’s economy, livelihood of women and for nation development,” she said.
She added that the Ministry has decided to make life easier for rural women by providing them with Charcoal burners and bio-gas stoves which were cost-effective as the Gas Cylinder that was being distributed to rural women was no longer sustainable by the Ministry, also the Ministry was now concerned about who refills the gas cylinder for these women when it gets finished.
The Ministry noted within 100 days, it will set up Sewing houses to produce local fabrics which will be exported to other countries.
The Women Minister also said that the sanitary towels the Ministry usually gives to students will now be transformed into a setting up “Sanitary Pad Production Centre” as the old method can no longer be sustainable.
She also said that the Ministry’s creche and other underutilised properties will get back to their feet for proper functioning within her 100 days in office.
Meanwhile, Kennedy-Ohanenye in a parley with Nigerian student leaders across the country at the Ministry’s Headquarters in Abuja, concerning case of sexual harassment in the University of Calabar, called on DSS to investigate the matter. Saying, “Today we had a meeting with student leaders and we have decided that they will partner with our, ministry, Ministry of Women Affairs to fight this sexual harassment.”
The Minister vowed to do everything within her Ministry’s powers to tackle sexual harassment across all learning institutions in Nigeria also restating her stand for women and justice and called for an in-depth investigation that was devoid of sentiment and prejudice.
She added, “We don’t want sexual harassment to be fight only by expelling the culprits or probably sacking them from work, we don’t want that anymore, we want a situation where justice should be done, because if we don’t go for the justice it will continue being a round circle thing, so the students together with Ministry of Women Affairs have decided that Justice must be done in every case judicial actions must taken so that, that people will be called to order and others will learn from it.
“We are starting with the Calabar case because that’s trending case, are are going to write as we have agreed, to the DSS to wage into this investigation, so that the Prof will not go free, not just that he has been sacked, it’s not enough punishment, so let them go in and gather issues that will bring an end to this and the right judicial action will be taken. Remember they said the Prof has been there before, he was sacked before, he came back, now he has gone to court let us not give room for same thing to keep repeating itself, that’s why we want a better investigation to have an advantage over him in court.