Top officials of Lagos State government including Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and Modashiru Obasa, speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Monday, took to the streets to condemn cases of domestic violence and related vices, as they backed a 25-year jail term for rapists.
The officials agree that the time has come to take decisive steps against the menace and call on various segments of the society to join forces against it.
Others who joined Ambode in the walk against ‘Domestic and Sexual Violence’ were Oluranti Adebule, the deputy governor, Olufunmilayo Oke, the chief judge, Bolanle Ambode, the first lady, Imohimi Edgal, the state commissioner of police, cabinet members, celebrities and students.
The governor 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.
“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,” he said.
The governor explained that in the last two and half years, the state had made a lot of inroad against the oppression of the female gender, noting that the state’s Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team had executed interventions and initiatives including easy access to reporting incidents, speedy rescue and access to justice, medical and psycho-social support for survivors, sensitisation and policy advocacy and the establishment of the Lagos State domestic and sexual violence trust fund to ensure survivors were financially independent.
The governor, however, said his administration would not rest on its oars until the menace was totally eradicated.
“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,” he said.
Mudashiru Obasa, the speaker, represented by the chief whip, Rotimi Abiru, said Lagos had 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.
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
