“ Challenges being faced by women in the legal profession are like those in every other profession. Women are bullied in the workplace and in politics due to lack of effective legislation explicitly and unequivocally protecting them.

The constitution which is the grundnorm does not recognise that women are at a disadvantaged position. “Even gender friendly laws like the VAPP Act need to be reviewed and tinkered to adequately cater to the challenges faced by women in their chosen careers.

Sexual and gender violence (SGV) at the workplace and political SGV be given their positions and addressed properly in the VAPP Act:” The above is the statement of Shafa’u Ladan Yusuf who is one of the exceptional women that is breaking the glass ceiling in the legal field.

In addition to her work adjudicating on matters at the Bauchi State High Court, she also has interests in how women and children issues are addressed in the state and the country at large.

Speaking with New Telegraph Feminique, the Chief Magistrate and a Principal District Court Judge speaks about the initiatives she has handled to care for women and children, the challenges women in the legal field face and sundry issues.

Between 2006 and 2007, Yusuf was the Secretary General of Network Against Girl’s Street Hawking, the Network Against Girl’s Street Hawking (NAGSH).

According to her, it was an NGO of the then wife of the governor of Bauchi State, Hajia Amina and it was supported by UNICEF and other development partners in ensuring that school age girls were actually going to school as against going to hawk stuff on the streets thus making them vulnerable to child predators such as rapists and ritualists.

“The impact made by our network was felt all across the state and a lot of well-meaning Nigerians and donors supported us by making available to the network the much needed resources that were used in alleviating the hardships felt by the parents of the girls which necessitated their leaving schools and opting to roam the streets hawking wares,” she said.

The successful career woman stated how she was able to attain the height that she has achieved now in spite of the African belief that women education ends in the kitchen because of the kind of father she had.

“The success or height I have attained in my chosen career is attributable to the kind of father I had and also my husband. My husband believes so much in the education of women that he has been pushing me to start my Ph.D. “My husband believes that education never ceases while one is still alive.

He doesn’t agree with the notion that my education ends in the kitchen, he wants to see me attain more success and I also believe in education. I am zealous when it comes to reading and learning new things.

I’m happiest in fact when faced by a challenge, especially one to do with new and interesting things. I can read for Africa, like the saying goes and the Internet is my number one best friend forever,” she said.

Women in peace and security

The exceptional woman, who was a member of the Programmes Steering Committee Bauchi State, the Women for Peace and Security Programme, talked about the role of women in ensuring peace and security in the society especially now that Nigeria is faced with the issue of insecurity.

“The role of women in peace and security has always and would always be immense. Women have never been known to initiate conflicts but women always end up being the major victims of such conflicts.

The United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 was unanimously adopted by the United Nation Security Council in the year 2000.

“The UNSCR 1325 affirms that peace and security are more sustainable when women are equal partners in the prevention of conflicts.

That women be made partners in the investigations, prosecution, adjudication and rehabilitation of victims of conflicts and that is exactly what we have been trying to see encapsulated into our security architecture of Nigeria more especially now that we are facing myriads of security challenges.”

VAPP

Act Yusuf, who is also a member, Bauchi State Action Committee on Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), and a legal practitioner, speaks on the best punishment for rapists and how to ensure that justice is served.

“It is not the issue of what the best punishment for rapists is or would not be but adequately making use of the extant laws to see that justice is served. We have much legislation such as the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Acts/Laws which if implemented properly would bring an end to these SGBV issues.

However, these laws are not adequately implemented. There is the need to mass educate the implementers of the laws such as the arresting, investigating and prosecuting officers on the proper ways to go about their jobs.

“The State Action Committee and Sexual Gender Based Violence is a baby of the Bauchi State First lady which was hailed by the state government and accordingly promoted to a standing committee under the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) with membership from all critical stakeholders in the administration of criminal justice.

The committee is saddled with the responsibility of aiding the achievement of justice in cases of State Gender Based Violence through advocacy, sensitisation and rehabilitation of victims where such arises. She noted that the case of rape in Nigeria is not handled with kid’s gloves.

“It is not a matter of handling cases of rape with kid’s gloves; I believe it is more of being faced with new and evolving threats never seen before. We did not have as much cases of rape especially ones associated with ritualism before now.

You know justice is not a one-way traffic; my office is doing the best it could within available resources to see that everyone gets the deserved justice.” Speaking on electoral reform in Nigeria, Yusuf said every reform if done with the best interest of the larger society is a good thing.

“Our electoral laws like every man made endeavour cannot be perfect and it is only common sense that they be subjected to periodic reforms in line with the world’s best practices. So yes, I believe the reform is timely as there is no better time to do it than now.”

Her background

The Chief Magistrate noted that she has lots of fun while growing up. “Growing up for me was happy, fun with a lot of memories. I have so many happy memories of my childhood that I pray, one day I get to share them in a book.

I started my education at a Qur’anic school when I was very little, then Shekal Primary School in 1978; in 1983 I went to Federal Government Girls’ College, Bauchi.

In 1991 I was admitted to read Civil Law at the University of Jos but I was unable to make it that year until the 1993/94 session when I was already married with a handful seven-month old son (Zahraddeen).

00I graduated with an LLB in 2000 and proceeded to the Nigerian Law School, Lagos Campus in 2001. In 2002, I graduated from law school with a BL. “In 2003 I was employed by the Bauchi State Government as a state counsel with the Ministry of Justice and in 2008 I was elevated to the lower bench as a Senior Magistrate.

In 2009, I went to the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), University of Lagos Campus at Akoka for a Master’s Degree (LL.M) on Legislative Drafting.

About her career

As a Chief Magistrate and a Principal District Court Judge, I preside over both criminal and civil cases under the inherent powers of the court and upon such jurisdiction given to my court by the Laws of Bauchi State.

She concluded by attributing her life challenge to managing a home with kids and school whilst “my husband was always away on military postings.

“The challenges I faced were managing a home with kids and school whilst my husband was always away on military postings within or outside the country. “I started school with one son and had two other sons while I was there.

From the two I had while in school, I lost one in my fourth year and had the other some weeks before my final exams. “The Dean of Law then, Dr. Jamila M. Nasir (God bless her soul) used to help me strap him to her back while I wrote my exams.

I also went to the Law School with a baby that was barely six months old and on exclusive breast feeding. I used to leave him with a nanny outside the lecture theatre so that I could hear him anytime he cried and I would sneak out and feed him.”