ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Enugu State Government has unveiled plans to establish a specialised court to handle gender-based violence cases as part of efforts to strengthen the administration of justice, improve protection for survivors and ensure the speedy prosecution of offenders across the state.
The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Osinachi Nnajieze disclosed this during a three-day Policy Review and Validation Workshop on the implementation of the Enugu State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) (VAPP) Law and Safe Termination of Pregnancy (SToP) Policy Guidelines organised by the LifeSpring Development Foundation (LSDF) in collaboration with the Enugu State Ministry of Health, in Enugu.
He said the proposed court would be manned by judges specially trained to handle sexual and gender-based violence cases with the sensitivity and expertise required to protect victims while ensuring offenders are brought to justice.
According to him, his office has already prepared a legal framework for the specialised court and the next step is to engage the Chief Judge of Enugu State to facilitate its establishment.
“We are about to set up a special court for gender-based violence. I have already taken a legal opinion on that and requested my team to design what it should look like. The next step is to discuss it with the Chief Judge so that the court can be established,” he said.
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Nnajieze explained that many survivors of sexual and gender-based violence often struggle to participate in investigations and court proceedings because of trauma, making specialised courts necessary to ensure justice is delivered without re-traumatising victims.
“When victims come forward, they often find it difficult to participate in investigations because they feel traumatised all over again. We need specialised care and skills to navigate those situations while still ensuring justice is served,” he added.
He said the specialised court would enable judges to receive dedicated training on gender-based violence laws, victim protection, trauma-informed procedures and other specialised skills required to handle such cases.
The Attorney-General also announced that his ministry had commenced full implementation of the Enugu State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law by directing prosecutors to begin filing charges under the legislation.
“One of the ways to breathe life into a new law is to operationalise it. I directed the Director of Public Prosecutions that henceforth cases should begin to be charged under the VAPP Law,” he said.
He disclosed that within just a few weeks of issuing the directive, at least a dozen case files requiring prosecutorial decisions had already been prepared under the VAPP Law.
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According to him, the development marks the beginning of a more robust enforcement regime aimed at ensuring offenders are prosecuted under the appropriate legal framework.
The Attorney-General vowed that rape and other gender-based violence offences would no longer be treated with leniency.
“We cannot allow our society to become a sub-human society. Gender-based violence is not a free-for-all. My responsibility is to hold offenders accountable and send a clear message of deterrence to anyone who believes these crimes can go unpunished,” he said.
Nnajieze stressed that justice would be administered fairly regardless of the status or influence of either the victim or the suspect.
“Even if the victim is the child of a nobody, or a nobody themselves, we will hold whoever committed the offence accountable. Under my watch, the law will be upheld without fear or favour.”
The Attorney-General reaffirmed the state’s commitment to strengthening enforcement of the VAPP Law and working with development partners to improve access to justice for survivors of violence.
The three-day workshop brought together representatives of the Federal Ministry of Health, the judiciary, law enforcement agencies, healthcare professionals, civil society organisations, development partners and the media, to review implementation of the Enugu State VAPP Law and the Safe Termination of Pregnancy (STOP) Policy Guidelines.