Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha Buhari has called for the establishment of Special Courts to handle Sexual and Gender Based Violence, SGBV cases in the country.
She made the appeal during the 2nd Annual Conference of Nigerian Governors Wives Forum, NGWF in Abuja, with the theme, `Sustaining Action of the State of Emergency Against Sexual and Gender Based Violence’.
According to her, the Special Courts will ensure speedy dispensation of justice. She expressed concern over the continuous rise in SGBV cases and said it was imperative to scale up multi-dimensional approaches and strategies to combat all forms of GBV.
The First Lady also attributed the prevalent rise in the cases across the country to cultural norms and beliefs that encouraged physical, sexual, psychological and economic violence, impunity and lack of justice, among others.
Aisha said the Girl-Child in Nigeria would continue to be a victim of exploitation and missed opportunities, if nothing was done to remove the obstacles they face in getting decent education.
Chairman, Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF and Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, stated that a national secretariat for the Governors Wives Forum would be established soon in Abuja. He added that the Governors Forum had provided funding support for the 16 days of activism against gender based violence.
