Stakeholders Call For More Magistrates And Lawyers To Combat Gender-Based Violence In Bauchi
A stakeholders forum on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Bauchi State has called for the immediate hiring of additional magistrates and lawyers to effectively address the growing threat of GBV in the region.
The forum, which gathered magistrates, lawyers, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), media representatives, and local council officials, also emphasized the need for increased funding and logistical support for both the police and the judiciary. This, they argued, is essential to ensure that perpetrators of GBV are held accountable and justice is served.
The one-day engagement, organized by the Bauchi-based NGO “We Aid Initiative” with support from the Urgent Action Fund Africa, focused on finding practical solutions to combat GBV in Bauchi State.
Magistrate Haruna Abdulmumin Mamman, speaking at the forum, highlighted the severe understaffing in the state’s judiciary. He called on the government to recruit more judges from the pool of qualified lawyers currently unemployed to help manage the backlog of cases in Bauchi courts.
“It may surprise you to know that the entire Bauchi State judiciary has only forty magistrates, with twenty required in the state capital alone. Some magistrates are burdened with as many as seventy to 100 cases, making it an extremely stressful situation,” Mamman stated.
He further noted that many GBV cases stem from poverty and urged for legislation that would compel community leaders to actively speak out against all forms of violence. Mamman warned that the silence of these leaders could allow GBV to persist unchecked.
Barrister Maimuna Ibrahim from the Bauchi State Ministry of Justice criticized the public’s quickness to accuse the police of compromising on GBV cases. She pointed out that many police officers often use their own money to carry out official duties due to a lack of logistical support, which hampers their ability to meet public expectations.
“Whatever the court does is dependent on police performance, and we cannot achieve justice if the police are not adequately supported. The government must empower the police to enable the courts to effectively sanction GBV perpetrators,” Ibrahim asserted.
Earlier in the forum, Barrister Elizabeth George, Executive Director of the NGO “Child Is Gold,” presented a baseline overview of the GBV situation in Bauchi State. She praised the community mediation initiative “ZAUREN SULHU,” but expressed concern that traditional leaders sometimes allow GBV perpetrators to evade justice.
George called for stronger collaboration between the courts, CSOs, the police, and community leaders to tackle the menace of GBV in Bauchi State before it escalates further.
Dr. Sa’adatu Danladi, Executive Director of the NGO “Afri-Hub,” commended the Bauchi State Government for reporting forty-six cases of GBV on the state’s Ministry of Women Affairs and Child Development dashboard. She expressed hope that more such reports would be made public in the future, contributing to greater awareness and action against GBV.
