By Onyekachi Eze
The 9th House, 3rd Assembly of the Imo State House of Assembly on Tuesday, July 27, 2021 recorded another milestone by passing into Law another private-member Bill targeted at eradicating all forms violence among residents of Imo State.
Since the inception of the present House, apart from the Oguta Constituency Lawmaker Hon Frank Ugboma, another Legislator to have her bill keenly debated and passed into Law, is Rt. Hon. Uju Onwudiwe representing Njaba State Constituency.
Passed into Law during Tuesday plenary session was a House of Assembly Bill No: 14 titled;
“A Bill for a Law to eliminate violence in private and public life, prohibit all forms of violence including physical, sexual, psychological, domestic, harmful traditional practices, discrimination against persons and to provide maximum protection and effective remedies for victims and punishment of offenders”.
The bill finally saw the light of the day after seven months it passed through the first and second reading, as well as the public hearing held in December 7, 2021.
The Bill is basically hinged on fighting sexual assaults like rape of either gender (men or women).
It also frowns at any act or form of female genital mutilation, with stringent punishment to be dispensed against culprits.
Also covered by the new Law is the fight against harmful traditional practices, infringement on the rights and dignity of women, girls, or any person Such as; Denial of right of inheritance, banishment, trial by ordeal, marrying or giving out underage girl into early marriage, forced marriage to a man or woman without consent, female infanticide, virginity testing, forced pregnancy, stigmatization of pregnancy outside marriage, trying of any person for witchcraft, trafficking of persons, sexual slavery.
Contained also in the Bill are fight against all sort of sexual offences like abuse, defamation, intimidation, substance attack, stalking.
Other harm as; physical or mental injury, emotional suffering, economic loss, wrongful arrest and detention, torture, use of force without lawful authority, unlawful entry into the premises of the would-be established VAPP Agency/Board, demolition of property without due process.
The Bill further gave credence to the 21 years imprisonment for anyone convicted of rape in Imo State.
A carrier of any deadly disease/STDs willfully infected a potential victim also would be jailed for 14years.
Having an unlawful carnal knowledge of a disabled or vulnerable attracts a 14 years jail term.
Interestingly, the State House of Assembly in the Bill proposed for budgetary allocation to the Agency for “Sexual Assault Referral Centre, SARC”, for the maintenance and effective implementation of the contents of the Law and potential victims.
Part of the Bill stipulates that, “Where death occurred as a result of female genital mutilation or the victim dies within one year from the injuries inflicted during the act, the offender shall be sentenced to life imprisonment”.
Refusing any police officer, Law officer or service provider access to premises where acts of violence occurred, or is suspected to be occurring, the actors shall face four years of jail term or fine not below five hundred thousand naira, #500,000 or both.
Reacting after the plenary session, the chief sponsor of the Bill, Hon. Uju Onwudiwe expressed gratitude to the Lawmakers for finding the Bill worthy of passage into Law.
Onwudiwe thanked the Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma and the First Lady, Barr. Chioma Uzodinma for their resilience in ensuring that the people, especially the vulnerable persons are given due protection against harm, hence their unrelentless support for the Bill.
Hon. Uju Onwudiwe termed the Bill as the “People’s Bill”, pointing out that Ndi Imo would heave a sigh of relief that at last, victims of the aforementioned have a strong backbone to rely on when endangered.
According to Igolo Njaba, the Law is no longer in the hands of victims or family of the victims, but the State Government who would be taking decisive actions when such need arises.
She was optimistic that sanity and respect for each other has returned in the State with the passage of the Bill into Law.
Onwudiwe maintained that the bill as erroneously conceived by some persons ab initio has nothing to do against the norms, customs and traditions of the land, but only to protect and fight injustice seen in the society.
The plenary session was presided by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Amarachi Chyna Iwuanyanwu.
Having passed through the Legislative processes, the Bill awaits Governor’s assent.
