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By Akpan David, Calabar
The Cross River State judiciary has been commended for creating additional family court for hearing of Gender-Based Violence, (GVB), matters.
The State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Edema Irom made the commendation when the state continued the celebration of the ongoing 16 Days Activism on GBV, marked all over the world to remember the 16 female activists in the Dominican Republic who were killed over activism.
She said women in the state were very grateful, saying it was a good start to accelerate the hearing of GBV cases.
She stressed that more was still needed as her Ministry gears up efforts in the battle.
The state government has however called on the National Assembly to expedite action on the five gender bills before it.
The commissioner said that the five bills seek to significantly bridge the gender disparity but were rejected by the National Assembly during last year’s constitutional amendment.
She listed the Bills to include creating additional seats for women to increase their participation in the national assembly, a bill to enable Nigerian women to transfer citizenship to foreign husbands and a bill to ensure at least 35% in political party administration and appointive positions.
Others are a bill to provide a minimum of 20% ministerial or commissioner nominees across federal and state levels and a bill to allow a woman become an indigene of her husband’s state after five years of marriage.
“We are calling for support for the passage of the 5 gender bills at the National Assembly by our national legislators, the provision and release of funds at the state level for the implementation of the VAPP, the CRL, Disability Rights Laws and other laws that prohibit VAWG in the state”, she said.
She added that though some modest achievements have been made over the years, women are still suffering various deprivations.
“There are still more freedoms we long for, looking at the gender inequality gaps, the discrimination suffered by women and girls with disabilities, the stigma and rejection suffered by women and girls living with HIV and AlDS.
“Women and girls who are displaced, the constant increase in cases of sexual violence and harmful traditional practices still ongoing such as the child marriage, female genital mutilation etc.”
According to her, one in three women experience gender based violence in their life time, maintaining, too, that, at least five women or girls are killed every hour by some one in their family.
She noted that less than 40% of women who experience GBV seek help of any sort, adding that violence against women and girls remains the most pervasive human right violation around the world.
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