Minister To Establish Mobile Court For SGBV

In a bid to combat Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and other related offences, the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye has disclosed plans to establish mobile courts for  the quick dispensation of justice.

Kennedy-Ohanenye who made this known on Monday during an interactive section with Journalists at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.

She said paid whistleblowers will be engaged as well as towncriers to further advance the advocacy for SGBV.

“The Mobile Court will be in collaboration with the Attorney General of the Federation, the Minister of Justice, the Nigerian Governors Forum and the Security Agencies to have innovative ways to enforce Violence Against Persons Prohibition Acts, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence as well as Female Genital Mitigation.

“The Mobile Court will be created for Gender-Based Violence and Child molestation, the victims will report to the Ministry and the Ministry will go to the Mobile Court for Justice”, she disclosed. 

The Minister, to curb conflicts experienced in the homestead is set to empower the women, especially those in the rural areas, as this will keep them engaged, "and will not give the room to nag their spouses".

She charged Women Groups to form cooperatives and register with the Ministry "so that the Ministry can empower them with different production machines to boost Nigeria’s economy, livelihood of Women and nation building”.

She added that the Ministry has decided to make life easier for rural women by providing them with Charcoal burners and bio-gas stoves which are cost-effective.

Kennedy-Ohaneye said that the sanitary towels the Ministry usually gives to students will now be transformed into a setting up “Sanitary Pad Production Centre” as the old method can no longer be sustainable.

Speaking on the ongoing sex for grade scandal in the University of Calabar, the Minister said the Department of State Services (DSS) will be involved in the investigation.

She restated her stand for women and justice and called for an in-depth investigation that is devoid of sentiment and prejudice.

“So, we started this with the Calabar case because that is the trending thing right now, so we are going to write as we have agreed to the DSS to wade into this investigation so that the Professor will not go free,” she said.

The minister vowed to do everything within her ministry’s powers to tackle sexual harassment across all learning institutions in Nigeria.

She particularly called for the creation of mobile courts to facilitate quick conviction of gender-based violence and child molestation.