Osinbajo, Odili seek protection for child, vulnerable witnesses
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday called for practical ideas that would facilitate justice delivery without sacrificing the well-being of vulnerable witnesses in the process.
Osinbajo gave the charge in a goodwill message delivered on his behalf by the senior special adviser on research, legal and compliance matters, to the President, Bulkisu Saidu at the hybrid virtual conference on “protection of child and vulnerable witnesses in Nigeria”
He said such protection must not only address the overwhelming cultural and social norms and barriers to exposing criminals, but also assess and address the problems that the witnesses may face before, during and after trial.
According to him, at all times, “the protection of their privacy and their identities should be paramount.”
“It is not enough to pass laws for the protection of the child and other vulnerable witnesses, there is the need to have in place clear implementation and enforcement mechanisms aimed at actualising the intendment of the law,” he stressed.
Osinbajo also stressed the need for appropriate protective measures for children. He said that the prevalence of sexual and gender-based offences against children has further brought to the fore the imperative of designing appropriate protective measures for these children, who are sometimes the only witnesses to the offences.
While declaring the conference open, president of the National Association of Women Judges in Nigeria (NAWJN), Justice Mary Odili, explained the essence of the conference on child and vulnerable witnesses protection.
She said it was meant to create awareness, cross-fertilise ideas and congregate experiences that would chart a new course for child and vulnerable witnesses in the country.
She said this was essential because “it has been shown that Nigeria is behind in the protection of child and vulnerable witnesses compared to her Common Wealth counterparts.
According to her, “no single legislation in Nigeria provides for the protection of child and vulnerable witnesses in the country. The situation is further compounded by the challenge of defining who is a child under the Nigerian law.
Odili lamented that though the Child Rights Act has been passed by the Federal Government, some states of the federation were yet to domesticate the legislation.
She charged the participants to drive discussion in the conference that would provoke lawmakers, legal practitioners and judges towards coming up with a legal framework for the protection of child and vulnerable witnesses in Nigeria.