Women in Kano under the auspices of Women Peace Council, Dala has called for Stiffer Penalties for persons caught with rape and other sexual violence related offences.
The Women Development Officer Fatima Muhammad who spoke on behalf of other women made the call during a town hall meeting organized by Community Initiative to Promote Peace (CIPP) to acquaint them on the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act 2015 (VAPP).
According to her, the women who deliberated on issues around peace, gender-base violence and other related matters, all agreed that sexual violence remain a serious threat in their community and the state at large hence the need for the unanimous call for Stiffer punishment for offenders.
She said punishment such as casteration should be meted on male rapists while women who abuse male children and adult male as the case may be should be handed live imprisonment this, she said, would completely eliminate their threats in the society and serve as deterrent to those who nurse such evil acts in their minds.
The Program Officer CIPP, Faruk Umar Abdulsalam said the Women Peace Council is One of the implemented programs by Mercy Corps in Kano on the CIPP project and the Women Council is made up of representation of the various Communities in Dala LGA.
He said, it is important to see the women who are the mothers and backbone of the society discussing and suggesting a way forward from the problem of rape and gender base violence which has thrive for so long in the society.
That the meeting intends to further equip the women with adequate knowledge on what to do and what not to do, whom to run to and whom not to run to when there is a case of such violence against any person in order not to temper with evidences left behind by the culprit.
Abdulsalam also stated that CIPP supports the Women’s call for a stiffer punishment as it appears what has been applied before is not enough to scare people away from such evil acts knowing that they’ll be released back to their community after prison term.
He further stated that the victims of such violence must also be given every necessary support to assist them get over the traumer rather than blaming them for the act.
Also, Fatima Ahmad from Kano Women Lawyers Forum said it is important to know that the penal code which is used in the Northern part of the country does not contain some of these crimes experienced as such no grounds to punish such offenders.
” It is because of this that we are calling on the State Government to adopt and domesticate the VAPP which covers all these crimes we are talking about and states what nature of punishment should be given to someone found guilty.
” We have been meeting with all stakeholders and it will interest you to know that they all support the adoption of the VAPP so we are calling on the State Government to speedy up the process and make it a law too in the State, with it anyone caught will hardly escape justice”, she emphasized.