The Rivers State Response Team on Violence Against Women and Children has hailed the Rivers State Governor, H. E., Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, CON, for signing into law, the Rivers State Prohibition of the Curtailment of Women’s Right to Share in Family Property Law No. 2 of 2022.
The Team said by this new Law, the State is comfortable sustaining the lead as the Most Gender Friendly State, leading in laws and State driven Gender Equity Policies in Nigeria.
Tombari Dumka-Kote, Coordinator, Rivers State Response Team on Violence Against Women and Children, and Chairman, Rivers Indigenous NGOs & Civil Society Network (RINGOCS), made the position of the Team known in a press statement to salute the courage of the Governor and the will of the present administration in the State, for always standing in the gap for vulnerable groups, especially Women and children, from been denied their rights.
‘Aside the area of physical infrastructure, curbing the multi-dimensional issues of Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence in our State is one course the present administration has tackled head-on with vigor. Indeed, by adding the Rivers State Prohibition of the Curtailment of Women’s Right to Share in Family Property Law No. 2 of 2022 to the list of laws made so far to protect the rights of Women and Children, the Rivers State Governor, and as well the State House of Assembly, has written the name of the State in Gold Prints as Gender Rights Champions and deserves commendation’, Dumka-Kote stated.
The SGBV Response Team Coordinator, while lamenting the continues dismissal of reported cases of Gender Based Violence as family issues by some Police divisions and departments, said such actions are not only wrong, but negates the Laws and effort of the Rivers State Government, and remain a violation of the provisions of the laws so made.
The Team called on the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Eboka Friday, to further strengthen the Human Rights, and Gender Unit of the State Police Command in a bid to allow only personnel that are so trained to delve into handling issues of gender based violence.
Dumka-Kote in promising that the Team will embark on sensitizing community people on the provisions of the new law, adviced traditional rulers and community leaders to guide their Council members and family heads on the need to always protect the rights of women and children in their domain, queeing into the actions of the Rivers State Government.
