The International Federation of Women Lawyers, Nigeria, has expressed concern over harmful and discriminatory practices on women, children and other persons, especially with regard to the increasing wave of violence against women, which include rape, sexual assault, female circumcision and genital mutilation in the country.
In a statement on Monday in Abuja, the National President of the federation, Mrs Hauwa Shekarau, called for the effective implementation of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, 2015 and its domestication in the states as well as total compliance with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons (NAPTIP) Act.
Shekarau said the Act was a legal framework borne out of genuine desire to address the high incidences of violence against women and prohibited female circumcision and genital mutilation.
Also, she expressed worry and appealed to the media to lead the frontline in the fight against such ills.
According to the president, the law frowns at forceful ejection from home without due legal process; forced isolation or separation from family and friends, and emotional, verbal and psychological abuse.
The Act, she said, also prohibits harmful widowhood practices; abandonment of spouse, children and other dependents without sustenance, noting that women also had the rights to be informed of the availability of affordable health, legal and social services and to be rehabilitated and reintegrated.
Shekarau also added that victims of violence had the rights to receive medical, psychological, social and legal assistance through governmental and non-governmental agencies.
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