The Gender Equality Bill has passed Second Reading in the Senate.
The bill, which was rejected in March this year at the upper chamber on the grounds that the constitution has already covered the rights of everyone, was however reintroduced by Biodun Olujimi (PDP, Ekiti South) at Thursday’s plenary.
Titled “A bill for an Act to Incorporate and Enforce Certain Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Right on the Rights of Women in Africa”, the bill was reintroduced on June 15, 2016 for First Reading.
When passed into law, 35 percent of positions in political and public offices, appointments, employment opportunities, credit or other economic spheres will be reserved for women.
Similarly, it prohibits all forms of violence against women including unwanted or forced sex; traditional, religious or cultural practices harmful to the health, well-being of the woman.
Upon conviction, offenders will be liable to a minimum of one year imprisonment or fine of N500,000 or both.
Apart from the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu who opposed the bill on the grounds that Section 4 of the proposed law conflicts with Section 42 (1b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), other senators including Oluremi Tinubu, Binta Masi Garba and Sola Adeyeye supported the legislation, saying it would remove all forms of discrimination against women in Nigeria.
When put into question by Senate President Bukola Saraki, the bill was unanimously supported, even as he referred it to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to report back in four weeks.
Section 4 of the bill deals with prohibition of discrimination and provides that “No person, organ or agency of government, public or private institution, commercial or corporate body, community or other entity or any representative of such organ of agency of government, public or private institution, commercial or corporate body, community or other entity shall either through words spoken, acts, inactions, omissions, laws, regulations, administrative procedures, policy guideline, rules, customs or practices discriminate against any person on the ground of gender, age or disability”.
Co-sponsored by 21 other senators, Section 5 provides that “Every person, body, institution, community, authority or private enterprise whether public organ or body, public institution, individuals, communities or authority and private enterprise in Nigeria shall take all appropriate measures including regulatory policy, fiscal and administrative measures, to ensure the full development and advancement of all persons, especially young women and girl children, for the purpose of guaranteeing to them the exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms on a basis of non-discrimination and equality of all persons”.
It also makes provision for the adoption of temporary special measures to eliminate discrimination and ensure equal opportunities for majority of Nigerians.
Part B of the bill provides for the commission and jurisdiction for the implementation of the law when passed into law. The National Human Rights Commission is vested with the powers to enforce and implement the provision of the bill.
Eight bills from the House of Representatives were also considered for concurrence. They include: Telecommunication and Postal Offences Act (Amendment) Bill, National Crop Varieties, Livestock Breeds (Registration) Act (Amendment) Bill, Produce (Enforcement of Export Standards) Act (Amendment) Bill, Prevention of Crimes Act (Amendment) Bill, Water Resources Act (Amendment) Bill, National Agricultural Land Development Authority Act (Amendment) Bill, Bee (Import Control and Management) Act (Amendment) Bill and Agricultural and Rural Management Training Act (Amendment) Bill.
