The African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) has appealed to the Rivers State Governor, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike to give his assent to the violent against Persons Prohibition law.
The coordinator of the association in Rivers State, Hilda Desmond said this in commemoration of this year’s United Nations International Day for the elimination of violence against women.
Desmond revealed that the Rivers State House of Assembly have already passed the Act, which has made provisions even for emotional and psychological abuse, spousal battering and spousal abandonment among others.
She, however, expressed dismay that act has not been signed into law by Gov. Wike, explaining that the violation law will address gender base violence if given executive orders.
“We just want to use this opportunity to prevail on the Rivers State Governor to give his assent to this bill because, once it is passed, this issue of gender base violence will really reduce drastically”, she stated.
Mrs. Desmond also disclose that violence against persons was at the increase during the lockdown occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Violence against women is on the increase during and after the pandemic. Corona Virus Pandemic has really increased gender base violence. Many men lost their job this period, so they transfer the aggression on the weaker sex”, she maintained.
Meanwhile, a cross section of residents in Port Harcourt who spoke to our reporter are calling for equal rights for male and female children as a way of tackling gender violence.
Mr Micah Jonah, a Government teacher at Community Boys Secondary School, Elelenwo Port Harcourt, in an interview with our reporter said the society neglected the boy child, giving special training and paying more attention to the girl child.
He explained that both the male and female children practices most of these crimes, adding that equal attention should be given to the boy child as well, when it comes to training a child.
