The Katsina State Government has domesticated the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act 2015 to curb incessant cases of violence across state.

The Act was officially assented into law and unveiled by Governor Dikko Umaru Radda yesterday during the inauguration of a steering committee on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) at the Government House.

The ceremonial assent of the law, which was done at the Banquet Hall of the Government House, was attended by members of the civil society organisations, security agencies and top government officials.

Speaking while unveiling the Act, Radda said the VAPP would help in reducing the menace of violence, especially gender-based violence and ensure that the perpetrators were prosecuted in the state.

The governor explained that his administration has a zero tolerance policy towards gender-based violence and other criminalities, hence, the signing of the VAPP Act into law.

He said that the Violence Against Persons Prohibition law would provide support to survivors and protect the rights of women and children, adding that his government remained resolute to an egalitarian society.

He added that: “Together, with your unwavering determination and collaborative efforts, we shall build a Katsina State where the rights and dignity of every individual are sacrosanct.”

He, however, said the inauguration of the gender-based violence steering committee headed by the state’s Ministry of Women Affairs, reflects his government’s unwavering commitment to eradicating the menace in the state.

The governor admonished the committee members to work with religious and traditional leaders, media and civil society organisations to extirpate gender-based violence in the state.

According to him, “It is our collective responsibility to stand united against gender-based violence. I therefore urged members of the steering committee to be vanguards of change.”

In his remarks, the state Chief Judge, Justice Musa Danladi Abubakar, urged relevant stakeholders in the state to work assiduously for the speedy implementation of the VAPP law.

On her part, the state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Zainab Musa-Musawa, urged prosecution agencies in the state to ensure that the violators of the law are arrested and prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others.

Culled from ThisDay