By: Ishola Michael – Bauchi
Violence against persons has been described by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) as a human rights violation that impacts on, and impedes progress in many areas of the lives of the victims.
It also negatively impacts on the country’s realization of its obligations under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and other international human rights treaties.
The assertions were made by the Bauchi State coordinator of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Yahcit Dala while giving a goodwill message during the official unveiling of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2022, Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law 2022 and the Penal Code Law 2022 of Bauchi State held at the NUJ Press Center, Bauchi.
According to her, “to show its commitment to the full implementation of the VAPP Law, the commission calls on the Bauchi state government and all stakeholders to galvanize action to this cause.”
Yahcit Dala, who was represented by Ortese Felix Mimi, Principal Program Analyst, also called on the state government, to ensure the end to impunity through accountability, speedy dispensation of justice for survivors, while providing a platform which connects survivors of Violence to service providers and provides information on access to support system for survivors as well as to encourage citizens to report cases.
She stressed that, “It is our fervent hope that this will create the necessary awareness so that cases of gender-based violence can be reported, documented and violators held accountable, while support is provided to the survivors.”
She also said that the Administration of Criminal Justice Law will ensure the safeguarding and protection of human rights through ending impunity, ensuring best standards, access to and speedy dispensation of justice, fair hearing, rehabilitation, restoration, etc. The major stakeholders: law enforcement, judiciary, prosecutors, correctional services, legal practitioners are therefore charged.”
Yahcit Dala also expressed the new laws will ensure the upholding of human rights standards in the administration of criminal justice Bauchi state.
She concluded stating that,”Together, we can do it! Congratulations to the government of Bauchi state the stakeholders in the criminal justice system, civil society organisations the fight against gender based violence, and the people of Bauchi state.”
While giving the statistics of complaints between January 2020 and December 2022 she disclosed that there were 334 in 2020, 873 in 2021 and 6527 in 2022.
The statistics further revealed that violence against Women and Children Rights recoded 150 in 2020, 444 in 2021 and 398 in 2022 while Civil and Political Rights (CPR) violation recorded 48, 143 and 355 for 2020, 2021 and 2022 respectively.
According to her, Economic, social and cultural Rights (ESCR) violation recorded 136 in 2020, 285 in 2021 and 5772 in 2022 while violation against Vulnerable Groups (VG) recorded 0 in 2020, 1 in 2021 and 2 in 2022.
Yahcit Dala therefore encouraged victims of any form of human rights violations to freely to report to the relevant nearest security agency and complaint to the Commission for redress.
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