By Stanley Onyekwere
The Association of Wives of Traditional Rulers (AWTR) and other stakeholders in the customary sector met to endorse a policy document on code of conduct for Sexual and Gender-based Violence within Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), aimed at boosting effort towards strengthening the traditional Justice system.
It was gathered gathered that the policy document, with clear administration of FCT Traditional justice and women’s access to justice for sexual gender based violence discrimination, early marriage of girl-child was produced and developed by the AWTR.
Speaking at a one-day validation workshop held recently, AWTR Programmes Director, Ambassador Hannatu Usman Nga, said they have been on it for almost two years now.
“We are here to see how we can review the document, to adopt it to be used to resolve sexual gender based violence,cases. We are trying to strengthen the traditional justice system even though the 17 Chiefdoms have ways they resolve such acts.
“But we are trying to see how they can connect it to human rights and especially on SGBV because it has not been easy for the original inhabitants down to the grassroots.
“We will share the code of conduct for SGBV across the palaces. We have also trained the secretaries in the 17 chiefdoms because it’s a continuous learning process.
“Our next plan will be to launch this document then we will distribute it in schools, churches and mosques. We will also sensitize our religious leaders to enable them to create awareness at every opportunity they get.”
Programmes Director, however, called on government agencies, civil society groups and donor agencies to support the group as it’s plans to unveil the document.
“We believe that this policy document will help in tackling the menace of SGBV in the FCT.”
Also speaking, Assistant Director, FCT, Community and Chieftaincy Affairs Department, Kombo Umar, said: “As a department in FCT, we have a fundamental role to play in achieving your goal.
“Hence, there is a need to have an administrative guidelines which gave birth to this document before you”.
On her part, representative of the Nigerian Bar Association, Linda Rose Bala, said: “We are happy to say we have looked at parts of the document and realize that a good job has been done.
“We’re a bit concerned about the fact that you have not laid emphasis on trauma that the victims face and we hope that you will lay more emphasis on that and training for those who are going to engage the victims”.
