At least 20 states of the federation have so far domesticated the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act 2015 for implementation in their various states.
Mr Josiah Emerole, Director of Public Enlightenment, National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) stated this at a sensitisation on sexual and gender based violence on Thursday in Yenagoa.
He said that Bayelsa domesticated the VAPP Act 2015 and enacted it in 2021 as VAPP Law 2021 to bring sanity to the state and communities and protect the society from the ills of sexual and gender based violence.
According to him the federal government assigned the responsibility of implementing the VAPP Act to NAPTIP in addition to its anti human trafficking role in its establishment act.
The sensitization forum was organised by Bayelsa Command of NAPTIP and Prof Steve Azaiki, Member representing Yenagoa/Kolokuma-Opokuma Federal Constituency.
Speaking at the event, Emereole applauded Azaiki for collaborating with the Bayelsa Command of NAPTIP on the enlightenment programme to empower members of his constituency with knowledge to deal with gender based violence.
Emerole took the audience through the provisions of the VAPP Act and what constitutes sexual violence to include rape,spousal battery,female genital mutilation/circumcision, forceful ejection from home amongst others.
He urged them to join forces with NAPTIP and become advocates in the protection of victims of sexual and gender based violence.
He assured that NAPTIP remained committed to protection and enforcement of the rights of victims of sexual and gender based violence adding that NAPTIP recently secured the conviction of two rape offenders currently serving life imprisonment.
Also, Juliet Lulu, a Child Rights Activist and resource person regretted that parents have abdicated their parental roles and alegnated their children and exposed them and made them victims of sexual violence.
She urged parents to create time for their children and take active interest in the overall development and not put all the burden on teachers.
Azaiki who said that the beneficiaries were drawn from all segments of his constituency which includes women, youths and traditional rulers noted that sexual and gender based violence affects everyone in the society.
Azaiki, represented by Bishop Molife Abraham noted that the enlightenment programme was to compliment several empowerment and skills acquisition schemes for his constituents.
At least 200 people drawn from Yenagoa and Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Areas in Bayelsa participated in the sensitization programs held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa capital.
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