Owing to the alarming rate of political, sexual, psychological and emotional violence among others, the Rivers State House of Assembly has moved to domesticate a bill captioned “Rivers State Violence Against Persons Prohibition Bill 2019”.
Debating on the bill which is already an act of Parliament,the lawmakers said the bill will take care of issues like rape,spousal battery, and all forms of assaults adding that it also makes provision to address anger and harmful practices against women.
In their separate speeches, the lawmakers called for the passage of the bill stating that the judiciary in the state can leverage on the law and ensure that women live peacefully in their homes.
They also noted that the bill when passed will stem the Spate of violence in the state and also protect vulnerable persons in the state regretting that violence has become a lifestyle in the state.
Describing violence as an infraction that should not be taken for granted, they opined that the bill will make women whom they identified as most vulnerable to live and work with less fear in their homes and public places while giving the state the opportunity to be among the states where rights of women and children are protected.
Committing the bill to an ad-hoc Committee, Speaker Ikuinyi-Owaji Ibani, noted that the bill Seeks to checkmate violence and punish perpetrators but advised that Assembly be cautious in passing such bill that has to do with lives of people into law.
” In domesticating the law passed by an act of Parliament, we must make sure that errors are not made so as not to have conflicts with National law”, he cautioned.
He however affirmed the need to stop the alarming dimension violence has taken in our society.
“On a general note, the way and manner violence is increasing in the society, if we don’t stem it today, it will stem us. I mean, if we don’t stop violence today, violence will stop us tomorrow”, he stated.
