The federal government has launched mobile courts and established new guidelines for hotels and schools to ensure swift justice in cases of gender-based violence, sexual assault, and bullying.

The announcement was made by Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, the Minister of Women Affairs, during a partnership meeting with various stakeholders in Abuja.

Participants in the meeting included representatives from the ministries of health and education, medical facilities, hotel owners, NGOs, and civil society organizations. Mobile courts, which can be moved to different locations, are designed to quickly adjudicate disputes and administer justice.

Kennedy-Ohanenye highlighted the rising incidents of sexual and gender-based violence, child abuse, child labour, harmful practices, and prison congestion in Nigeria. She condemned the exposure of minors to alcohol and the occurrence of deaths in hotels, as well as bullying and sexual molestation in schools. Additionally, she criticized hospitals that refuse to treat gunshot victims without police reports.

The minister stated that the new legislation for mobile courts would help address these issues. “The enactment of legislation ushering in mobile courts will curtail such menace,” she said. These courts will introduce operational guidelines for hotels, hospitals, schools, and NGOs, including the installation of signposts that prohibit actions encouraging gender-based violence.

Toll-free numbers will be provided for reporting violations. The mobile courts aim to expedite the dispensation of justice, enhance trial efficiency, and eliminate harmful practices. They are also intended to reduce child labour, decrease the number of out-of-school children, prevent the employment of underage house help, and combat the practice of using babies to beg for alms.

Kennedy-Ohanenye emphasized the importance of these measures in addressing the pervasive issues of gender-based violence and child exploitation in Nigeria.