The Ekiti State House of Assembly will hold a special parliamentary session on gender based violence. The special session is being held at a period when global and national attention is focused on ways to eliminate violence against women and girls in all its forms.
According to the Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly,Rt Honourable Olubunmi Adelugba “ the House is concerned that despite robust legislative and policy interventions on GBV, sexual and domestic violence appear to continue unabated in communities across the State.
“The purpose of the special parliamentary session on GBV is to review the adequacy of the laws and other government policies in other to determine whether gaps exist and what needs to be done specifically in the area of joint action by government and civil society alike to plug the gaps.
The House envisages that an important outcome of the special session will be for all concerned to have a shared appreciation of what has been done, current interventions and what needs to be done and by whom to reverse this scourge”
A statement in Ado Ekiti, on Wednesday, and signed by the Assembly’s Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon Adeoye Aribasoye, disclosed that the special plenary will hold next week Monday 12 December in the chambers of the House.
Aribasoye said participants at the plenary will include the Ekiti State First Lady, Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji who will chair the session. The Judiciary, governments departments, Security Agencies, Civil Society organisations and other critical stakeholders have also been invited.
The Assembly’s spokesperson stated that the Ekiti State House of Assembly has been in the forefront of the State Government’s response to Gender-Based Violence.
He said, “The House enacted the Gender-Based Violence (Prohibition) Law, 2019, the Sexual Violence Against Children (CompulsoryTreatment and Care) Law, 2020, and the Child Rights Law, 2012.
The House also undertook a review of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State to include provisions on the Register of Sex Offenders in support of the State Government’s Naming and Shaming Policy of Sex Offenders. In addition, members of the House have also taken steps to educate themselves on the appropriate role of parliament in responding to Gender-Based Violence.
Recently the House undertook a study visit to South Africa to learn and share experiences with a broad range of governmental and non-governmental institutions on the appropriate response to GBV”