Women of Kogi Central senatorial district made the appeal on Tuesday in Okene at a sensitization workshop organized by the Challenged Parenthood Initiative, CPI, in collaboration with Actionaid Nigeria for the proposed bill on Violence Against Persons Prohibition, (VAPP), which has passed through second reading in the Kogi State House of Assembly. They also called on the Government to intensify effort to rid the state of other social vices ravaging the 21 Local Government Area.

The women who were overwhelmed on the content of the bill and what it intends to achieve in their lives unanimously knelt down and offered prayers against any person who intend to work or stand against the passage of the bill in the state. In her address, the Executive Director, Challenge Parenthood Initiative, (CPI), Eunice Abimbola Agbogun while noting that the bill is currently awaiting public hearing in the hallow chamber said, if passed, it will help address most of the societal and domestic violence in Kogi State.

Agbogun who admonished participants to take the sensitization down to the grassroots in a bid to allow quick passage of the bill said the campaign on violence against women is a collective responsibility.

“We have read of some horrific accounts of this heinous crime through various media channels in recent times. A lot of times victims of this heinous crime don’t even report the incident to the appropriate authorities so their stories do not even make it to the newsroom. “Many victims of rape for fear of stigmatisation and being blamed for their ordeal bear the pain of the crime committed against them, thereby leaving their assailants roaming free to perpetrate more crimes. It is indeed quite unfortunate that victims are sometimes blamed for being raped. “The question one may now ask is how effective the laws which pertain to rape have been over the years in securing convictions and serving as deterrents to offenders. It has been observed that prosecuting rape cases can be quite tough due to a myriad of factors ranging from stigma to the provisions of the law itself on the issue.