VAPP Act: Underfunding of Women, Health Programme is Violence Against Women, Says NAPTIP
For the effective implementation of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act, the federal government,
particularly the Ministry of Women Affairs and the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking of Persons (NAPTIP), has been called upon to invest more money in the cause of women, as well as their mental and psychological health.
The Assistant Director,Legal and Procurement Department, NAPTIP, Ijeoma Amugo, made the call in Abuja during the national stakeholders workshop on the effective implementation of the VAPP Act. The stakeholders meeting was themed “VAPP Act 2015: The journey so far and the way forward.”
She revealed that there’s no funding for NAPTIP in the implementation of the Act and the agency will not rest on its oars as there are a lot of gaps to be filled.
While stressing that it is important that the issue of non-funding is put out there, she noted that government under- funding of womenrelated programmes, which includes their health and well being, must be understood to be the first violence against the female gender.
She said: “The fact that there’s no funding for NAPTIP in the implementation of VAPP is the first sign of violence against women and their entire well being in this country and we have to take it up. There must be adequate, full funding for all causes of women.
“When there’s enough funding to care for women causes, children will be involved. So if we care about children in this country, we will make the mothers very comfortable and safe. So if VAPP has to work, we have to pump money in the implementation.
“We can’t afford to say, oh we can’t come to your rescue because we don’t have money. That’s obscene because we are pumping money into other sectors of the society, we have to pump money into causes meant for women or else, we can accuse government of violence against women. Pumping of the money should start from the ministry of women affairs.”
The VAPP Act which was signed into law in 2015 is not strictly a law prohibiting the abuse and degradation of women, but is all encompassing of the down trodden which includes persons with disabilities a well as children.