VAPP law to protect right of women, children, all vulnerable – Mrs Makinde

Wife of Oyo state governor, Engr Tamunominini Makinde, has hinted that the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law in the state will protect the right of women, children and all vulnerable people irrespective of gender.

Mrs Makinde dropped this hint on Wednesday while speaking at the public presentation of the law, supported by WFD and funded by foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.

She said at the public presentation and stakeholders’ engagement held at Bon Hotel, Ibadan sponsored by Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) with funding by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office that the VAPP law was basically put in place to protect the right of women, children and all vulnerable people irrespective of gender.

Mrs Makinde noted that the law was presented to the people of the state so that likely violators can be aware of its existence, content and punishment and that the law can now be used to punish anyone who violate the right of another and that violators of the law would be prosecuted accordingly and that Oyo, being a pace setter is one the first few states to have begin implementation of the law.

In his remarks, Speaker of Oyo state House of Assembly, Hon Adebo Ogundoyin, said the law would eliminate violence in private and public life of the people of the state as well as close up gender parity gap in the law.

“The Oyo State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law, 2021 is a Law to eliminate violence in private and public life, prohibit all forms of Violence Against Persons and to provide maximum protection and effective remedies for victims and punishment of offenders and for related matters”, he said.

Hon Ogundoyin added, ” the purpose of the VAPP Law, 2021 (VAPP) is to reduce the equality gap between all genders as well as cut down the country’s very high incidence of Gender Based Violence (GBV) which disproportionately affects women and girls,” and that ” the Law also redefines rape and is the first Nigerian Law to recognise that rape can involve male victims. “