Uptake against sexual, gender-based violence
The just concluded Child Protection Week, in commemoration of the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) Month, was an eye-opener to a scourge that has bedeviled Nigeria for a long time. SGBV had thrived because of its entrenched culture of silence induced by numerous factors such as fear of further abuse, family dignity, societal ostracisation, shame and weak prosecutorial adjudication.
This culture has been the bane of taking justice to offenders and bringing justice to victims.
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence is a national menace. But only Lagos State is known to have taken the bull by the horns with a slew of legislation, deterrent policies, rehabilitation and counseling.
At the Governor’s Commendation and Award Night which drew the curtains on the SGBV month recently, the Lagos First Lady, Dr. (Mrs.) Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu said over 25,000 cases of domestic and sexual violence have been addressed by the State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Agency (DSVA). This is a laudable feat in the agency’s 10 years of existence. The theme of the campaign, “SGBV, not on my watch” is instructive, calling to action everyone connected to humanity.
“The fight against SGBV requires the participation of everyone: religious leaders, community leaders, families and individuals alike. It is not just the responsibility of the government and the agency alone, it is a collective endeavour. Together we must continue to strengthen our legal frameworks, expand our support systems and most importantly, break the culture of silence that allows abuse to persist,” Mrs. Sanwo-Olu said.
It was a clarion call echoed by several stakeholders.
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Lagos state Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu said his administration had convicted 50 persons for sexual and gender-based violence in the past year. “In the past one year, the state has secured over 50 convictions. We have provided holistic services to over 6000 survivors and reached out to over a million Lagosians through advocacy and sensitization,” he added.
The Executive Secretary of the DSVA, Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi said ‘we are gradually breaking the culture of silence, and calling on people to speak up and speak out. So, please pay attention to the people that are speaking up.’
The Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2, Mr. Adegoke Fayoade said the Force was taking ‘giant steps to make sure that those violators, abusers of women and girls, are dealt with within the ambit of the law.’ Another advocate, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Prof. Ayodele Atsetunwa, said stakeholders need sustainable measures to tackle the menace in the society.
There is no doubt that eradicating SGBV truly needs sustained collaboration at different levels of the society. In raising the much-needed awareness and enlightenment, the SGBV Month campaign started with the most vulnerable in the society: children and teenagers; bbeginning with activities at the Eko Boys High School, Mushin and a couple of other schools, Advocacy Walk, Child Protection and Safeguarding Week, and a symposium, which assessed the impact of the state’s SGBV response over the past decade.
Head of Programmes for Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme, (RoLAC), Mr. Danladi Plang acknowledged the vital role played by Lagos State government in combating SGBV and rehabilitating victims with enactment of relevant laws. He said more would be done in identified areas.
“Some achievements have been made and what we need to do is to build on those achievements, identify why cases are slow and deal with them; identify why convictions are low and deal with them,” he said.
“A central focus of the event was the empowerment of school children through educational resources aimed at raising awareness about the prevalence of SGBV,” according to Lagos State Project Coordinator for RoLAC, Mrs. Ajibola Ijimakinwa. “These materials will serve as a constant reminder of the importance of standing up against abuse and will be prominently displayed in school premises. The capacity-building initiative, which aims to strengthen children’s understanding of their rights, also trained them on how to report cases of SGBV to the appropriate authorities.”
RoLAC is a European Union-funded programme implemented by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), and they are the force behind the SGBV awareness campaign in Lagos.
According to a 2019 survey by the Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics, 30% of Nigerian women aged 15 to 49 have experienced physical violence, while a shocking 68% have encountered emotional, economic, or sexual abuse. That data shows large number of the vulnerable people, especially women and children are consigned to a life of trauma.
Domestic violence is a pervasive global pandemic for which majority of victims are believed to be women and children.
The United Nations defines violence against women as “any act
