Akwa Ibom state has recorded 401 rape cases in three years since the inauguration of Akwa Ibom State Gender-Based Violence Management Committee in September 2021.
Aside rape cases, within the time-frame, the state has also recorded 118 attempted rape cases, 53 harmful widowhood practices; 65 abandonment of dependants which consist of people who abandoned their spouses and children; 32 cases of forceful ejection from homes; 54 cases of intimidation; 35 incest cases; 520 spousal battery; and 165 cases of physical abuse among others.
Disclosing this on Thursday June 13, at the Ministry of Justice, Uyo, the secretary Akwa Ibom State Gender-Based Violence Management Committee, Barr. Emem Ette, noted that Akwa Ibom state government in 2021 adopted a multi-sectoral approach in responding to issues of gender-based violence by setting up the committee after enacting Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law in June 10, 2020.
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According to her, “That committee is a masterstroke by the Akwa Ibom state government because we have achieved a lot since we were inaugurated in September 2021.
“First of all what the committee did was to have a state wide sensitization campaign and we went to each federal constituency to tell our people about the ills of gender-based violence: how to identify violence, how to respond to violence and where to report violence. Between 2021 and 2022 we had a drastic drop in cases of gender-based violence because our people became more aware of this menace in our society. After going through the ten federal constituencies we discovered our challenges and we found the need to address these challenges.
“The first one we did was to establish sexual assaults referral centres in Uyo and Ikot Ekpene since we had one already in Eket. And government is looking into supporting the agape centre in Eket. We are also trying to see how we could connect pharmacists and chemists so that we can have a wholesome way of ensuring that victims and survivors have easy access to medical care.
“We have also built a-66 bed shelter mainly for victims of sexual and Gender-based violence in Akwa Ibom state. I dare say it is the best in Nigeria. Within that premises we have a well furnished skill acquisition Centre used in training survivors on life skills they can use to be independent financially and take care of themselves and their children.
“The committee also created a unified referral pathway for the state where survivors or their relatives would know where to go to if they are violated. We also curated a training manual for schools which can be used by churches and any other organization.
“We have attended to a total of 1,467 cases since we started from 2021 to 2024 with 210 cases under investigation; 120 cold cases; secured 53 conviction; 302 cases withdrawn; and 240 cases settled through alternative dispute resolution.”
Barr. Emem Ette who is the Director in charge of Sexual and Gender-based Violence Response Department in the Ministry of Justice, revealed that the emergence of what she described as unnatural cases that were not covered by the Criminal code and the Child Right Law of 2008 also warranted the enactment of Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law.
“So there was need to have a law which we could use to prosecute a male who rapes another male, or a female who rapes another female or another male because under the criminal code the only person who could rape was a man not a woman.
“Since we had Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act at the Federal level, there was a need for Akwa Ibom state to adopt that act to become a law to deal with those cases I mentioned. So in June 10, 2020 Akwa Ibom State enacted Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law and we have been running with it since then. “
She averted that citizen of the state with cases of gender-based violence, is free to approach the committee.
