Yinka Shokunbi
Group Life Editor
The large turn- out of women at the Senate Conference Hall Room 022 on Monday March 2 was an indication that the reason for their gathering was definitely not going to be business as usual.
Though that was not the first time Nigerian women came out in their droves to passionately push for an agenda they so much desire and wish for, they had similarly thronged the National Assembly in 2011 to demand for the passage of the same Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Bill which eventually failed to receive the assent of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Prior to the March 2 public hearing on the VAPP bill which had experienced thirteen years setback, the media was awash with special advertisement inviting interested members of the public to the special hearing on the bill by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal matters.
Prof Joy Ezeilo canvassing passage of VAPP bill at the hearing
A number of stakeholders which included women organisations, civil society groups, ministries and parastatals on women and judiciary among others were duly notified and had made presentations on the issue at hand in hard and soft copies available for members of the committee as well as interested participants ahead of the public hearing.
It was therefore no wonder that most of those who turned out at the Senate hearing room which was filled to its brim and even had an overflow were women, concerned men and even youths who had made up their minds that they needed to give the public hearing the deserving attention required given the nature of the bill.
The VAPP bill as presently constituted, aims at eliminating all forms of violence in private and public life while at the same time seeks to prohibit the different types of violence including physical, sexual, psychological, domestic, harmful traditional practices and discrimination against persons. It provides maximum protection and effective remedies for offenders commensurate with offences committed.
So, the turn-out was a show that the bill was receiving what some of the women described as “the last, but determined push for its passage’’.
Initially, the crowd had some tough time gaining entry into the Assembly due to power outage at the hearing room but the various groups that came to the hearing were not deterred nor frustrated by the challenges which almost made the event impossible.
The attendees were seen scattered all around the corridors as the hall couldn’t accommodate everyone and some even sat on the bare floor waiting patient for the proceeding to commence; an indication of determination that the lives of Nigerians must surely be given a special benefit.
When eventually the several hurdles were surmounted and the deliberations earnestly began, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Human Rights and Judiciary, Senator Dahiru Umar opened with words of assurance that “the bill will be passed before the expiration of the 7th assembly’’ and that statement drew a very loud applause and hope began to rise in the room.
And when Senator Umar added, “With the elections around the corner and the with the Easter break coming, we want to quickly pass the bill.
“Violence is despicable, disheartening and threatens the family. Nigerians should rise against violence’’, said Umar. He almost drew a standing ovation among the crowd.
He went on to commend the sponsors of the bill for not giving up after several years of pushing for the bill to be passed.
Soon after, it was the turn of Senator Ita Enang to speak. One could really feel the palpitations of the many hearts that were in the room. This is because Senator Enang had been described by activists of the bill as one of the committee members who had at various times in the past expressed his reservations about the bill.
“It was however a surprise” said Madam Abigael Onu, one of the women activists “to discover he had shifted grounds”.
According to her, it was surprising to hear him say he is shifting his position and that the bill will be passed on moral grounds. To many, this is the best comment at the hearing.
The Senate president, David Mark in a speech read by Senator Enang noted, “the Senate is at the threshold of making history by considering the VAPP bill. It (The Senate) will pass a legislation that will stand the test of time’’. This was reassuring to the gathering of people and there was some nodding here and there.
Thereafter, the proceedings continued with call for presentations from the eleven groups and individuals that had forwarded memorandum to the committee. Some of the presentations were made by groups like the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Legislative Advocacy Coalition on Violence Against Women (LACVAW), Women Aids Collective (WACOL), UNWOMEN, WRAPA, FIDA, Development Dynamics, Network of men leaders, FOMWAN, NISP, a Cleric Sheik Nurudeen Lemu, an actress Stephanie Okereke and a testifier who had been raped twice.
In her presentation, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Zainab Maina noted that the passage of the bill will “stop impunity on the part of perpetrators of violence’’ while the non-passage of the bill “will negatively impact vulnerable groups and increase cases of gender based violence’’.
According to her, “I am convinced that the VAPP bill will be passed into law before the end of the 7th Assembly. This will make you leave a worthy legacy and leave indelible footprints on the sands of time. The 7th Assembly will also make history as the very first legislative session that made a lasting difference in the lives of the Nigerian populace,’’ said, said Maina.
Perhaps one of the high points of the proceedings which drew emotions out of the audience and even members of the committee was the public testimony of rape survivor who narrated her experience in the hands of male relations who raped on two different occasions.
While she gave the description of her ordeal, many of those in the gallery and conference room couldn’t help but sob and wail especially as she compared her ordeal and experience to what could be happening to the abducted Chibok girls who had been taken captive for more than 300 days. The young woman noted that the girls may be going through the same experience in the over 300 days they have been held by their abductors.
Perhaps what made the public hearing memorable for the determined women who had gathered to make a final push was the disappointment that greeted members of the opposition who were also there in their numbers to make their voices heard; though obviously outnumbered by those who wanted the bill passed the way it is.
The opposition no doubt struggled to be recognised during the public hearing but their effort suffered a setback because they had failed to submit a memorandum prior the day as requested and so were not listed.
The leader of the group, Dr Phillip Njemanze of Association of Catholic Medical Practitioners of Owerri, Imo State was nonetheless recognised and allowed to make a speech.
He observed that while the bill did not define what it meant by “persons” and pointed out that the provision of the bill was capable promoting same sex marriage adding that the bill was indeed against the culture and tradition of the Igbo on grounds that it allows women to inherit property.
His submission drew the ire of the hundreds of women in the room who booed him and it too time to calm the frayed nerves of the women who couldn’t hide their indignation for such a submission.
Another opposition group, Foundation for African Cultural Heritage (FACH) pointed out that the bill did not make provision for the protection of the unborn child. Yet another group the `Good Samaritan Group’ could not make presentation because time allocated for the hearing had elapsed.
One of the very visible women activists at the hearing, Professor Joy Ezeillo founder and Chief Executive Officer of Women’s Aid Collective (WACOL) and Convener of the South East Women Network (SEWNET) as well as the founder and moderator of the West African Women Rights Coalition (WAWORC) who has been at the frontline of the “Say No to Violence Against Women and Girls Campaign” among others, reiterated the dire need for a very strong law to compensate victims of violence especially women who she said are the most vulnerable and worst sufferers of all forms of violence and discriminations against their sexual health, and reproductive rights and who do not have the back-up of social welfare to support or lean on, and so often die in silence.
After all the presentations were heard, the Senate committee chairman closed the event by announcing that the committee would ensure the bill is given accelerated reading towards its passage before the March 28 presidential election.
The crowd could not but burst into songs and dancing as there was hope that the bill would eventually make it thus ensuring the 2015 international women’s day with the theme ‘make it happen’ become one to ever remember.
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