Sexual Violence: First Ladies Want Governors To Enact Laws To Punish Offenders

…Support Call For State of Emergency on Sexual Violence

The First Ladies of the 36 States of Nigeria have agreed to inform the Nigerian Governors Forum to get the Governors involved in the much-needed areas of enacting laws to punish sexual violence offenders.

They also added their voices to the demand by various concerned organizations to declare a State of Emergency on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.

These demands were contained in a Communique Issued at the end of a Zoom Conference Meeting by First Ladies Against Gender-Based Violence (FLA-GBV) at the weekend signed by Mrs. Erelu Bisi Fayemi on behalf of the body.

The first Ladies observed that very few cases of sexual violence in Nigeria end up in a conviction, noted that they have resolved to become more involved in seeing that justice is done for survivors of sexual violence.

They further pointed out that several states in the country have not domesticated relevant legislation to safeguard women and children from violence and very few States have a Sex Offenders Register and agreed that advocacy efforts will be intensified to ensure that legislation and implementation of such laws can be used to combat Gender-Based Violence.

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(FLA-GBV) further said their recommendations that ” we the First ladies of the 36 States of the Federation have resolved to work assiduously with a range of stakeholders to break the culture of silence which has so far meant that perpetrators are not brought to justice because the parents and or family members of the victims and the victims themselves are prevailed upon not to report these cases. The First Ladies were unequivocal that this must stop.

“We will endeavor to provide shelter and safe houses in our various States for women in distress, as well as ongoing sensitization and support in safe spaces.

“It was further resolved that boys will be tutored as well on what constitutes sexual violence, and men will be encouraged to lend their voices to the various anti-GBV campaigns going on”.

In the preamble of the communique, the First Ladies have expressed concern about the recent spike in cases of violence against women especially rape, which has become disturbingly rampant and more evident during the lockdown necessitated by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

“This unsavory development informed the meeting of the First Ladies to appraise the present situation and evolve ways to check the alarming rate of sexual violence against women and girls and indeed all forms of violence against women.

“Several causative factors were identified and discussed as well as ways and means to tackle the disturbing trend. In this regard, we the First ladies of the 36 States agreed to amplify the advocacy on sexual and gender-based violence on an ongoing basis,” the First Ladies said.

The First ladies of the 36 States in their conclusion agreed that it would be best to harmonize efforts at curbing the menace in the country by working together collaboratively and sharing best practices.

They also set up a committee comprising First Ladies from the six geo-political zones to drive the process, headed by Mrs. Erelu Bisi Fayemi of Ekiti State and Mrs. Folake Abdulrazaq of Kwara State as Secretary while the Chairs of the Northern and Southern Governors Wives Fora, Dr. Amina Abubakar Bello and Mrs. Betsy Obaseki would lend their support to the process.

It will be recalled that in July 2019, the First ladies had a robust campaign against rape and gender-based violence which included statements, talks, advocacy walks, and workshops. The First Ladies have in the light of recent happenings resolved to amplify these advocacy efforts.