Assessment of the Effectiveness of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act Implementation in South South Nigeria

The Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act 2015 represents Nigeria's most comprehensive legislative response to gender-based and domestic violence, yet its domestic implementation across states remains highly uneven. This study assesses the implementation effectiveness of the VAPP Act in South South Nigeria, focusing on Rivers, Edo, and Delta States. A mixed-method design was employed, with 100 respondents including lawyers, police officers, social workers, judges, and GBV survivors completing structured questionnaires and interviews. Document analysis of prosecution records and state gender policy reports supplemented primary data. Analysis involved descriptive statistics and content analysis. Findings reveal that all three states have adopted domesticated VAPP legislation, but prosecution rates under the Act are extremely low due to limited awareness among law enforcement, inadequate prosecutorial training, under-resourced SGBV courts, and poor victim support infrastructure. Fewer than 5% of reported GBV cases progress to successful prosecution in any of the three states. Most survivors cite the VAPP helpline as unknown to them. Recommendations include dedicated VAPP sensitisation campaigns targeting police and judiciary, specialised training for SGBV court personnel, and investment in survivor support services. This research contributes to gender law implementation literature in South South Nigeria. Keywords: VAPP Act, gender-based violence, implementation, South South Nigeria, law enforcement