Stakeholders seek aggressive action against rape, domestic violence

Lagos CP claims prosecution of 120 cases in eight months

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr. Fatai Owoseni, said 120 cases of rape and domestic violence had been prosecuted by the command between January and August 2016.

He pledged the command’s resolve to eradicate the menace from the society.

Owoseni, who made this known during a symposium organised by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) at the MUSON Centre in Lagos, said the command had established about 107 family support desks across the police divisions in the state manned by specially-trained personnel to provide support to victims.

He added that through town hall meetings and other interactions, the command have been encouraging people on the need not to be silent.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode who was represented by his Special Adviser on Community Development, Kehinde Bamigbetan, said that part of the resolve of government is by increasing effort at eradicating cases of sexual abuse and domestic violence in the state.

He, therefore, called for community engagement, especially among males, on how to stop the scourge in the society

The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, who was represented by Lagos State Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Funlola Odunlami, said that men need to be part of the solution and not just the problem as well as to be educated on the benefit of gender equality to women, girls and all of humanity.

She, therefore, urged the society never to be silent or condone violence against women.

Other discussants at the symposium, including a specialist in Public Law, Dr. Olajide Bello, a physiotherapist, Mr. Lanre Olusola, a media executive, Deji Irawo; Pastor Fredrick Thomas of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) and Imam Lukman, called for the need to change the male dominance ideology that creates emotional dysfunction in the society.

According to them, part of solutions to the problem is for men to take a lead role in changing the society from domestic and sexual violence against women and use the culture of headship to create respect for them.

Co-ordinator of the programme, Lola Adeniyi, said the institution decided to gather members of the NYSC, lawyers, non-governmental organisations, the police, among others, following statistical revelations that women are vulnerable to sexual and gender-based violence and men generally the perpetrators of those crimes, hence the need to see men as part of the solutions in changing the narratives.