What other way can a leader demonstrate his seriousness and readiness to fight a menace in a society than lead from the front? This appears to be the thinking behind Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode’s symbolic walk against child abuse and gender-based violence, recently.
The governor, in company with top State functionaries including the Deputy Governor, Oluranti Adebule, Chief Judge of the State, Justice Olufunmilayo Oke, his wife, Bolanle Ambode, Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal; Attorney General, Adeniji Kazeem, members of the State Executive Council, members of the House of Assembly, stakeholders in the justice sector, celebrities, students, among others, filed out to speak against the monstrous acts of domestic violence, noting that it was time to walk the talk and ensure that all hands are on deck towards safeguarding the rights of every citizen and the most vulnerable in the society.
Governor Ambode’s walk against rape has further opened the conversation on the ravaging extent of domestic and sexual violence in our society. To this, the governor was emphatic on his support for the 25 years jail term for rape offenders.
“Rape should not be met with light sentencing; the minimum sentence of 25 years is highly recommended. We need new laws, which will respond adequately to the nature and occurrences of this era. Domestic Violence is a crime, and should be treated as such. The Protection Against Domestic Violence Law, 2007, should therefore be amended accordingly,” Ambode said.
“A lot of progress has been made in the steps taken to protect the rights of women and the girl child and in the war against the oppression of the female gender. However, there is still so much to be done. We need to ask ourselves the hard question: for this cause we honour today, how can we truly ensure we are walking the talk?
“What we are tackling today is an almost innate culture which relegates women to the background and forces them to suffer in silence. In Lagos, we are waging a war against this culture and we will do everything within our power to transform ours to a culture of equality, respect and dignity for all. It is a journey of radical transformation, and our government is wholly committed to seeing it through.
“We are not just reactive in helping survivors but also taking aggressive steps to prevent future occurrences. Our aim is to build a system of trust and accountability, where survivors are encouraged to speak out and potential perpetrators are discouraged to commit future acts,” the governor said.
Domestic violence in Nigeria is a problem as in many parts of Africa. There is a deep socio-cultural connection between domestic violence, that it tacitly acceptable to subject a woman to some form of discipline by her spouse.
This is age long and it continues today with no signs of reduction. The CLEEN Foundation reports 1 in every 3 respondents admitting to being a victim of domestic violence. The survey also found a nationwide increase in domestic violence in the past 3 years from 21percent in 2011 to 30percent in 2013. Also, the Foundation’s 2012 National Crime and Safety Survey demonstrated that 31percent of the national sample confessed to being victims of domestic violence.
Domestic violence takes many forms including physical, sexual, emotional, and mental. Traditionally, domestic violence is committed against females. Common forms of violence against women in Nigeria are rape, acid attacks, molestation, wife beating, and corporal punishment.
Women often face physical violence at the hands of their family members. The most common forms of physical violence include rape, murder, slapping, and kicking. Some of the reasons that were given for physical abuse include their husbands being drunk, financial issues, and the rejection of a partner’s sexual advances.
Relationship inequality is also a strong indicator of physical violence. High levels of wife beating occur when the woman is making more money than her husband or partner is. This has been attributed to the lack of control the male partner feels within the relationship.
Women also often link the perpetration of physical violence with husbands who are very controlling. Women who justify wife beating are more likely to be victims of physical violence.
Another form of violence which has received a lot of recent attention in Nigeria is acid baths. Acid baths are actions of violence where the perpetrator throws acid onto his or her victim’s body, resulting in disfigurement and possible loss of eyesight. Acid baths are a large issue for women that need to be addressed.
Sexual violence in Nigeria largely goes unreported because of the burden of proof necessary for conviction as well as the social stigma it brings. Until recently, the Nigerian police were not seen to arrest for sexual assault.
About 25percent of women reported forced sex at the hands of either their current partner or a former partner.
Furthermore, a Demographic and Health Survey showed that over 30.5percent of married women have experienced at least one or more forms of physical, emotional or sexual violence in their marriage.
However, the Lagos State government has taken several steps to curb the menace. These steps include legal proceedings to prosecute men who abuse their women or molest children.
During the symbolic Walk against domestic violence, Governor Ambode emphatically stated that 25 years jail term awaits rapists, saying that the time has come to take aggressive steps to put a stop to the menace.
The Governor, decked in a red t-shirt with inscriptions including ‘I Say No To Rape’, ‘Stop Domestic Violence’, among others, said it was time to take the fight one step further by amending the Protection against Domestic Violence Law, 2007 and also come up with strict punitive measures that would serve as a deterrent to perpetrators of such act.
He said in the last two and half years, the State has made a lot of in the war against the oppression of the female gender, noting that the State’s Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team has executed interventions and initiatives including easy access to reporting incidents, speedy rescue and access to justice, medical & psycho-social support for survivors, sensitisation & policy advocacy and the establishment of the Lagos state domestic and sexual violence trust fund to ensure survivors are financially independent.
The symbolic walk undertaken by Governor Ambode will resonate well with the people of Lagos State. It will act as a reawakening of consciousness that the time has come when Government would not sit back and watch perpetrators of dastardly acts of domestic violence to go unpunished.
The fact that he was joined by his wife, Bolanle, the Police Commissioner, Imohimi Edgal; the Chief Judge of the State and several other dignitaries and celebrities is an attestation to the fact that Lagos State is serious about tackling and uprooting the menace from its foundation in the state.
In the words of the governor, while acknowledging the role of the Judiciary in the establishment of Sexual Offences Court and the State House of Assembly for enacting the Protection Against Domestic Violence Law, 2017, the Child Rights Law, 2015 and the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, “…the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is now. We firmly believe that the actions we take today will be the seeds sown for a brighter future for our women and indeed, our children. We believe our State can continue to pioneer in this agenda and become a benchmark not just in Nigeria, but globally”.
Besides, Governor Ambode, urged the Nigeria Police Force to strive to be more professional and ensure proper investigation of reported cases by grooming specialist officers, since they were mostly the first point of call for victims of sexual and domestic violence.
In her remarks, the Chief Judge commended Governor Ambode for leading the symbolic walk, saying the development as well as other efforts geared towards combating the menace eloquently confirmed the commitment of the State Government to reduce the menace to the barest minimum, just as she urged victims to come out and seek justice.
On his part, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa who was represented by the Chief Whip of the House, Rotimi Abiru, said Lagos has set the pace in putting issues of rape, domestic violence, child abuse and others on the front burner adding that the coming together of the three arms of governments was a proof of political will to fight the menace in the State to a standstill.
Statistics shows that since the establishment of Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, there has been increase in reported cases of domestic and sexual violence, while the State has experienced a reduction in incident rates. Also, more cases have been prosecuted while several have been resolved. But State Governor further used the occasion of the symbolic walk to restate that his government will not rest until the scourge of child and gender-based violence is completely dealt with.
Sarah Mba
