Obas Shotobi, Agoro, want community to encourage justice, fight child abuse
Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, on Wednesday July 13, 2016, urged community leaders and members of the community to rise up against domestic and sexual violence, just as she said that people must be made to be aware of the heavy punishment for perpetrators of such crime.
The town hall meeting, which took place at the palace of Ayangbure of Ikorodu, was in the line with the mandate and commitment of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, to combat all forms of domestic and sexual violence crimes.
The theme of the town hall meeting was: THE ROLE OF THE SOCIETY IN TACKLING SEXUAL AND GENDER BASED VIOLENCE (SGBV)
Mrs. Ambode, who spoke at a workshop organized by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT), in partnership with the Ayangbure of Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Adewale Shotobi, said community leaders must spread the message to prevent the crime, adding that such was necessary to combat the menace and discourage people from indulging in it.
In her speech, which was presented by her representative, Mrs. Titilayo Ogunleye, “The evil of domestic and sexual violence against women and children in our society has attained a frightening dimension and the time for action can no longer be delayed. So, it offered a lot of hope of redress, when the domestic and sexual violence response team was inaugurated by the state government in 2014. It’s mandate, I am told, is to provide coordinated response to issues of sexual and gender based violence.
Aside rape and defilement, other common forms of violence against women and children around us include assault, child neglect, maltreatment, child labour and general child abuse, among others. While a woman might suffer domestic violence in marriage or in the hand of another man, violence against children comes in a variety of ways and from very many sources.
The most disappointing sources include those that are closest to the child’s family, school or home where she resides. Violence against the girl-child is not necessarily an organized thing but informal acts of wicked and inhuman treatment that trample upon her personal liberties and denies her happiness.
Since we know what constitutes violence against children and women, then our primary concern should be how to tackle gender based crimes. The concern on the part of the state government, necessitated the establishment of this response team.
However, it is important for us to note that we cannot leave the whole assignment for the government. If we are part of the problem, then we should be part of the solution. Stopping gender violence must begin from our various homes. It must begin with how we treat our darling wives, our house helps, foster children, neighbour’s children, school pupils and other children in our care. When we start treating them right and respecting their personal liberties, then it is a sweet good-bye to gender violence,” she concluded.
Mrs. Ambode commended domestic and sexual violence response team for being at the vanguard of the fight against the crime, but reiterated the fact that rape and defilement carries life imprisonment whilst domestic violence and child abuse are all crimes committed against the state.
Earlier in her welcome remarks, DSVRT co-ordinator, Mrs. Titilola Vivair Adeniji, said the meeting was on clear response to the reprehensible trend, where victims of SGBV are ostracized and harassed by the community because they reported the crime.
She disclosed that there have been instances where the victims have been pressurized by the society to settle out of court.
According to her, “The strategic initiative taken byte DSVRT is to embark on grassroots sensitization campaign which aims to enlighten key stakeholders and influences within the society on the right steps to take in response to an incidence,” she said.
In his contributions, Oba Shotobi harped on the important role of the society, which can be summarized as reporting the act, protecting the victim, encouraging justice and shaming the perpetrators.
The monarch sounded a clear warning that the culture of stigmatization would no longer be tolerated, just as he said that such was of utmost importance as recent statistic revealed an increase in the reporting of these incidents in Ikorodu area and its environs.
The contact details of relevant agencies in Ikorodu was given out and victims of sexual assault were advised to go to primary health care centres in Ikorodu as health workers had recently been trained on sexual assault management and equipped with rape kits while cost of laboratory testing had been provided by the state government.
In his own remarks, Oba Adeoriyomi Hakeem Oyebo, the Obateru of Egbin, said domestic violence has been in the community for long and it happens all over the world. “We have our own peculiarity. For example, our own culture and tradition are different from what is obtainable in the western world.
The program of today, which is centered on domestic violence, is going to educate our people on what it is all about. But I do know that in the western world, it is rare for a man or husband to lift up his hand and beat his child or wife. My advice to parents is that they should not engage in domestic violence and that the government should continue to sponsor and finance this type of program.”
According to Oba Agoro, Ranodu of Imota, “First and foremost, I want to thank God Almighty for today’s gathering because we are talking about a very important issue that serves as the foundation of the nation. We have received and seen reports about gender violence, especially of recent rape, on every under aged people of ten (10) years, twelve (12) years; it is very annoying. Many of this reports are so rampant nowadays.
Gender based violence should be avoided because it is an abomination, even from day one of creation. There is no way a woman will be able to stand up to a man when it comes to violence. That is why we men should stop all this type of violence that we are talking of now, especially rape. A sensible man should not turn himself to an animal and be forcing a woman for sex when she is not in the mood and I think we men should start thinking of this thing and we should stop it.
If we are talking about domestic violence on the part of men, we should also talk about it on the part of the women. Some women will dress in such a manner that will harass a man. So we are both contributing to it and both guilty. We should co-operate to eliminate violence from our society. We men should go and think and change our attitude so that all this rubbish would stop.
Giving a lecture at the event on Understanding sexual and Gender based violence, the implications and its impact on the society, Mr. Imam Lukman described Gender based violence as something that occurs in various homes, community and in the state and that it is also a crime for an individual that has power to oppress the powerless ones.
“Domestic violence is exemplified into beating of wives at home by men, child abuse, rape, which God and the law is against. Child abuse is when a child is deprived of essential things like education, etc. When such a child is deprived of his right, then his/her future is in danger.
Secondly, the issue of rape is very common, to the extent that both the perpetrators and the victims are not shy of it and take it as a normal act; even some people disguise themselves under religion. Also, some parents make their children to hawk, this things are very dangerous because a child that is hawking on the street might be kidnapped or even raped.
A child that is being raped will feel demoralized in her society and it will be a thing of shame to her because nobody in the society will want to associate with her. The laws laid down for maltreating a child or sending a child to hawk is Two hundred thousand naira (N200,000) but a perpetration of rape is liable to life imprisonment,” he stated.
Also speaking, Mrs. Ladapo Alakija, a Clinical Psychologist and member of the team, said that community leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, parents, neighbours and families have a role to play in curbing gender based violence.
“People should speak out to ensure that the perpetrators are prosecuted and jailed. The churches and mosques should also help in creating awareness, speak against it and educate people not to discriminate and stigmatise any victim,” she said.
One of the participants, Mrs. Kudirat Dalemo, lauded the state government for taking the sensitization programme to the grassroots.
The meeting had all the relevant stakeholders in attendance namely, officers of National Union of Road Transport Workers, arket men and women, artisans, the Nigerian police, faith based organisations, community Development Associations, vigilante groups, traditional rulers, school children from both public and private schools and the media and members of the Ministry of Justice, Ikorodu branch of Nigeria Bar Associations.
Dignitaries that attended the town hall meeting included Mrs. Ambode ably represented by Mrs. Titilayo Ogunleye, wife of permanent secretary, Ministry of Finance, Senator representing Lagos East at the upper legislative chamber, Senator Gbenga Ashafa ably represented by Dimeji Lamuren, majority leader of Lagos State House of Assembly Hon. Sanai Agunbiade and a member of the Assembly from Ikorodu Hon. Nurudeen Saka Solaja among others.