The CLEEN Foundation has called for a review of Ekiti State’s Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law to address emerging crimes associated with artificial intelligence (AI) and technology, including cyberstalking, as part of efforts to strengthen the protection of citizens against gender-based violence (GBV).
The foundation, supported by Norwegian Embassy said existing laws must evolve in response to changing patterns of criminal activities to ensure that emerging forms of violence are adequately addressed and perpetrators held accountable.
The senior programme Officer of the CLEEN Foundation, Bernard Ekobay gave the recommendation during a two-day state-level policy dialogue on “Bridging the VAPP Law Implementation Gap: Implementing Capacity, Institutional Compliance and Duty-Bearer Accountability,” held in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
Speaking with journalists, Ekobay noted that gaps in implementation remained a major concern requiring urgent attention even though Ekiti had established commendable legal frameworks for preventing gender-based violence.
He said the dialogue was designed to examine how existing laws were being implemented, identify institutional and operational gaps and develop practical strategies for strengthening enforcement.
According to him, the continued occurrence of gender-based violence and other forms of violence, despite the existence of relevant legislation, highlights the need to look beyond the enactment of laws and focus on their effective implementation.
Ekobay explained that crimes associated with artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, alongside cyberstalking, were among the issues stakeholders needed to consider when reviewing the state’s legal framework.
Ekobay said the dialogue also focused on assessing the capacity and effectiveness of institutions responsible for implementing the VAPP Law, with particular attention to their weaknesses, available opportunities and the interventions needed to improve performance.
He said stakeholders at the dialogue,
were also being encouraged to critically examine the challenges confronting the implementation of the law and propose workable solutions rather than rely on assumptions about the nature of the problems.
His words, “Ekiti State has always been at the forefront of issues and legislation relating to gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and violence against persons. The state has consistently taken the lead in drafting some of these laws.
“We have seen that Ekiti State has several commendable laws, but our major concern now is their implementation. One of the things we set out to do here today is to examine how these laws are being implemented, identify the gaps that currently exist and determine how we can strengthen them.
“We have identified issues and gaps that need to be addressed because we cannot sit in the comfort of our homes and assume that we already know what the problems are. Despite having these commendable laws, we continue to witness an increase in cases of gender-based violence and violence against persons.
“We are therefore examining the underlying problems and how they can be addressed. We are also conducting a SWOT analysis of the relevant institutions, focusing on their weaknesses, the opportunities available to them and how interventions relating to the implementation of these laws can be improved.
“There is no perfect law anywhere. We must continue to examine our laws and amend or refine them wherever necessary. We know for certain that crime is not static. The context in which crimes occur changes as society evolves, and criminal activities also evolve. Therefore, our laws must evolve accordingly, and new provisions must be introduced as part of that process.
“One of the recommendations we made here today is the need to review these laws to accommodate emerging crimes. For instance, we now have crimes associated with artificial intelligence (AI) and technology, including cyberstalking. Some of these offences are not adequately captured in the existing laws.
“One of the things we have tried to do today is to raise awareness among the stakeholders present and encourage them to consider solutions to some of these pressing issues. We also want to develop a blueprint in the form of a policy brief that will be presented to policymakers to guide efforts towards strengthening the laws and ensuring their full implementation in Ekiti State”.
