New Telegraph

Community where rapists are banished

As Gender-based Violence (GBV) gradually assumes a dangerous dimension in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), a community has taken some drastic steps to change the ugly narrative. REGINA OTOKPA reports

Mystery life

Kubwa, a satellite town in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has grown over the years to become home to people drawn from different walks of life. As a result, it has a huge population of young people and several atrocities are being committed on daily basis. It is common to have reports of sexual harrasment, rape and other forms of gender based violence from the community. During the COVID-19 lockdown, there was a worrisome spark in the rate of violence and harassment against women and girls. Sadly, majority of survivors do not speak out due to shame and fear of stigmatisation. Unfortunately, this ugly act leaves a trail of trauma, with an adverse effect on the individual, people around them and the society at large. Disturbed by the multiplier effect of rape and other forms of gender based violence (GBV), the traditional ruler at Maitama District, Kubwa has passed a law to banish any individual found guilty of perpetrating rape in the community.

Policy trust

District Head, Chief Bulus Pada, who spoke to INSIDE ABUJA, clarified that the banishment was not targeted at specific individuals, but for anyone who falls short of its laws regardless of tribe, religion or status. “We have a punishment for anyone caught, you will be sent out of this community immediately. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are from,” he said. Pada admitted that the measure might appear stringent especially in an urban settlement, but it has worked effectively in instilling discipline and curbing the rate of rape and other cases of GBV in Maitama District of Kubwa. One of the cabinet members, a former councillor of Kubwa ward, Hon. Danladi John, who attested to this, said the community have been having cases of rape before the law was put in place, but not anymore. Inside Abuja checks revealed that although there is relative presence of security operatives in Kubwa , the people respect any decree passed by the traditional authorities because any case brought before the Palace is not transferable to law enforcement officers. This is to protect the authority and sanctity of the throne and command respect from the people. But committed to running a participatory leadership, the Chief ensures that besides regular sensitisation of the community on key issues including GBV, cabinet meetings are held twice every week to address issues, after which member of cabinet pass down information geared towards development and protection of everyone living within the jurisdiction of Maitama District, Kubwa.

Collaboration

However, this firm decision against perpetrators of GBV and protection of survivors was made possible through the efforts of the Spotlight Initiative, in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), to mitigate and prevent issues surrounding violence against women, girls as well as boys and men. To make more impact, surveillance teams made up of representative from women, youths and students were established and attached to various communities within the area councils, to identify, refer and and see to the solution of cases arising from GBV. The Maitama District team made up of both indigenes and non indigenes, covers Maitama 1, New Maitama, Old Maitama, Katampe, Ukwuaba, Gbazango and Kubwa village.

Surveillance

Chairman, Surveillance Committee, Kubwa, Jolly Baba, confirmed that cases of GBV were fast declining due to the manner in which they were being handled. Driven by a passion to eliminate injustice and abuse wherever they exist, Baba has remained committed to touring Bwari Area Council in search of GBV cases, bringing perpetrators to book and assisting survivors live better lives. “Before now the violence in kubwa was high, but the intervention of Spotlight Initiative and National Orientation Agency have brought a lot of discipline to these parts; their intervention brought fear to perpetrators of such acts. “When they came to us that any person caught should be reported to them and to the police, such has not been found in this community. Our ears are till open we have gone to schools and churches and asked them to report all cases in case anything pops up,” he said. One of the many testaments of their activities, Maimuna Alhassan (not real name), told Inside Abuja that she was living a happier and fulfilled life, as a result of the intervention she got from the Palace, through the help of the surveillance team.

Ordeals

Maimuna is a survivor of an abusive marriage that produced two children. Narrating her ordeal, she said she had been admitted twice in the hospital from severe beatings from her ex-husband wh owed he over a N100,000. Now happily remarried and comfortable in her new home, through the intervention of the surveillance team and Maitama District Head, her ex-husband has taken responsibility of his children and was gradually offsetting his debt as directed. “I have been enduring, he has never been responsible for me and the children even when I was with him. I had to separate because of the violence and I had to draw the attention of the council of chiefs to the debts. They told him to take responsibility for his children and pay back my money in parts. “He was owing me N120,000, he was persuaded to pay me N20, 000 at once, he later paid 40,000 as part of our first child’s school fees and now its remaining N60,000,” she said.

Treatment

However, Baba lamented that when cases are reported or referred to the social welfare resource centre in hospitals, traditional leaders, the police station or eventually charged to court, the survivors prefer to embrace the culture of silence for fear of stigmatisation. The case(s) are forced to die a natural death when survivors or their representatives refuse to step forward any further. But this may not be unconnected with the lack of confidence most Nigerians have for law enforcement officers and the corruption surrounding prosecution of suspected sex offenders in the country. At a media dialogue on Ethical Reporting and Advocacy to Eliminate Violence against Women and girls in the FCT, organised by Spotlight Initiative and other development partners in Abuja, it was revealed that out of the 444 reported cases of sexual offences in Nigeria, only one conviction has so far been recorded this year.

Sustainence

The Desk Officer, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Sexual and Gender Based Violence Response, Ngozi Ike who made this alarming disclosure, maintained that one way to change the ugly narrative of GBV was putting stringent sanctions in place to serve as detriment to other perpetrators. She noted that a multi sectoral approach was usually adopted in addressing cases of SGBV and stressed that the establishment of special courts would hasten trials of suspected perpetrators. Ike urged more survivals to break their silence. “We lack special courts in Nigeria to hear such delicate cases. When you take these cases to the regular courts, they linger for a long period of time and this is not good at all. “If we can push for the establishment of special courts that will preside over sexual and domestic violence cases, it will give long way in according justice to survivors,” she said. Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), FCT, Mrs. Mary Tanko noted that before the establishment of special courts, the first step should be addressing corruption of law enforcement officers, who have formed the habit of manipulating cases once monetary or material gifts were involved. “In communities with police presence there is no commitment, the people do not have confidence in the security agencies and if vigilantes take perpetrators to the police, they are released and given vital information which exposes the people who handed them over or tipped the police in danger,” Tanko said.

Expert’s advice

Child Protection Officer, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Tochukwu Odele, has also raised concerns over Nigeria’s political structure which, he said, was limiting implementation of legal and policy framework for gender laws. She said majority of children in a survey conducted had experienced violence at home, adding that girls and women were at an increased risk for sexual violence, even as children who grow up in violent environments are at risk of perpetrating violence against the opposite gender when they grow up. Chief, Child Protection Section of UNICEF, Ibrahim Sesay who reiterated UNICEF’s commitment to protecting women and girls, said the media remains a strategic partner on advocating, mitigating and responding to issues surrounding women and girls.

“To move and ascertain those results we have committed some funds globally to mitigate issues on violence against women and girls,” he said. These funds are essentially to move ongoing efforts to eliminate GBV in the FCT and Nigeria forward. It will help to address the many logistical challenges identified by the Kubwa surveillance team, accord the needed recognition to the team so they can reach more persons still suffering under the shackles of GBV.

Read Previous

Court halts FG’s concession plans on MMA, cargo terminals

Read Next

Rotary Club rescues polio survivor from 32-year ordeal

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *