Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, has welcomed ongoing efforts to review the Oyo State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law 2020.
The Speaker described the move as a significant step towards strengthening the legal framework for preventing and responding to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the state.
The lawmaker gave the assurance on Wednesday while hosting Henry Odeh, a member of the newly inaugurated ESGBV (End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence) Media Corps in Oyo, in his office at the Parliamentary Complex, Oyo Assembly, Secretariat, Ibadan.
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The Sexual and Gender–Based Violence Media Corps had earlier undergone an intensive 2-Day Workshop organized by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) with support from the European Union Support to End Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (ESGBV) Programme implemented by International IDEA.
The overall objective of this assignment is to strengthen public engagement on SGBV in the FCT and the States of Benue, Kaduna and Oyo by improving the quality, ethics, and coordination of media and community-based communication.
The training aims to shift SGBV reporting and public discourse from sensationalist, fragmented coverage to a more professional, survivor-centered, evidence-based, and action-oriented approach that promotes prevention, expands access to trusted information, strengthens referral pathways, and supports positive social norm change while also enhancing community-level information-sharing structures relevant to SGBV prevention and response, including opportunities related to technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TF-SGBV), in the FCT, Benue, Kaduna and Oyo States.
Speaking, Ogundoyin stated that reviewing the law was necessary to address emerging realities, close existing gaps and ensure that victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence receive adequate protection and access to justice.
The Speaker reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to legislation that protects vulnerable persons and promotes justice, dignity and accountability across the state.
He noted that although the 2020 VAPP Law represented an important milestone in the state’s efforts to combat violence against persons, changing social realities and challenges in implementation made periodic review imperative.
According to him, an improved legal framework would strengthen institutional responses, clarify responsibilities among relevant agencies and enhance mechanisms for the protection of survivors.
He said the Assembly would give the proposed review the attention it deserved, and expressed optimism that stakeholders will contribute constructively to the process to ensure that any amendment in the legislation reflects the realities and needs of people across the state.
Ogundoyin also emphasised the importance of collaboration among the legislature, executive, judiciary, law enforcement agencies, civil society organisations, traditional and religious institutions, the media and other stakeholders in the fight against sexual and gender-based violence.
He called for increased awareness of the provisions of the law, noting that legislation could only achieve its intended purpose when citizens understood their rights and institutions responsible for enforcement were adequately equipped.
The Speaker commended organisations and individuals working to end sexual and gender-based violence in Oyo State, assuring them of the Assembly’s readiness to support initiatives that would strengthen prevention, reporting, prosecution and survivor support.
He stressed that ending violence against women, children and other vulnerable persons required not only legislation but sustained enforcement and collective action.
Earlier in his address, Odeh had identified the need to examine areas of the existing law that could be strengthened to make it more responsive to contemporary forms of violence and improve access to justice for survivors.
He expressed confidence that the review and necessary amendments will provide an opportunity to harmonise provisions, address implementation challenges and strengthen safeguards against sexual and gender-based violence in Oyo.