The Wife of Ebonyi Governor, Mrs Racheal Umahi, has inaugurated a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Mobile Court Committee to ensure all forms of violence against women are reduced in the state.
She inaugurated the committee on Monday as part of the events marking the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, observed every Feb. 6 worldwide.
The 2022 theme of the event is “Accelerating Investment to end FGM”.
The Ebonyi First Lady, who was represented by her Special Assistant on Welfare, Mrs Patience Offor, said that the committee would serve as a tool to ensure that all forms of violence, including FGM, were reduced.
“The committee, in view of establishing a special court to find out if the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law, has a provision for a special court.
“The committee will also ensure that the content of the VAPP is operational to ensure offenders are brought to book.
“My vision for the state is to have a zero tolerance for FGM practices in the state. This is a better approach,” she said.
Umahi noted the efforts being made to end the practice in the state.
She recalled that the official campaign against FGM started in 2016 though advocacies to traditional leaders and communities, urging them to dump the practice.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Representative in the state, Mr Benedict Essong, said that the mobile court should be inaugurated where offenders would be served justice immediately.
This, he said, would serve as deterrent to potential offenders.
Essong said because of her efforts with partners, civil society groups, line ministries, the police, there was a reduction in the incidence of GBV and FGM in the state from 74.4 per cent to 54.4 per cent.
“Coordinated efforts should be put in place and deployed to reduce the incidence. All efforts to end the menace are strongly aligned with the mission of UNFPA which is to end GBV and FGM,”Essong said.
Earlier, Mr Sunday Nwangele, the Commissioner for Education assured the people of the government’s total commitment to ending FGM in Ebonyi.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the constituted committee had eleven members.
NAN reports that the occasion also featured road work with civil society organisations. (NAN)