The Chief Justice of Nigeria ( CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, Monday urged judges to stem the tide of rising violence against women in Nigeria.
Muhammad further charged the judges to utilise the relevant laws in tackling the menace.
The CJN made the call at a two-day capacity building workshop of the National Association of Women Judges of Nigeria (NAWJN) held in Abuja.
The programme was organised in collaboration with National Judicial Institute (NJI).
The conference’s is themed, “Inclusivity and Access to Justice: Sustaining Public Confidence in the Judicial System,”
He said,” As many laws, which includes the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) (VAPP) Act, 2015 provide legislative and legal framework for prevention of all forms of violence against vulnerable persons, especially women and children, which I believe should be strictly enforced in the course of your adjudicatory duties.
“This will aid in reducing domestic violence as well as general societal violence, which is quickly becoming a trend in the recent day Nigeria.”
He stated further that given the enormous difficulties that stakeholders are currently facing, reducing the rate of sexual assault, human trafficking, and other forms of gender-based violence became imperative.
Also speaking, the NJI’s administrator, Justice Salisu Abdullahi, bemoaned daily report in the rise in the number of cases of violence against women in Nigeria.
According to NJI’s administrator, the inhumane offence of sexual violence against women often undermines the victim’s sense of self-worth and self-esteem and therefore urged the stakeholders in administration of criminal Justice to be effective and alive to their responsibilities in securing conviction against offenders.
In her remarks, the president of National Association of Women Judges (NAWJN), Justice Jummai Hannatu Sankey told participants that for effective adjudication on sexual based violence all stakeholders must be involved.
Justice Hannatu subsequently called for synergy among the stakeholders to curb the rising and rid the society of sexual and gender-based violence.
NAWJN has therefore charged the police who are at the bottom of the adjudication pyramid to brace up, saying they are essential in the success of the trial in cases of sexual assault.
