Curbing rising cases of domestic, gender based violence in Nigeria

Although domestic and gender based violence has been, and remains an issue of great concern in Nigeria, there are still insufficient data to truly measure the extent of damage this social malaise may have done to the psyche of many family. The reason for this is not farfetched.  Most cases of violence against women and the girl child, especially rape and defilement are never officially reported due primarily to the fear of stigmatisation.

While there is not as much research as there should ideally be on this serious social and public health issue in our clime due to the fear, shame and silence surrounding domestic violence as well as limited funding to engage in the requisite research, there are, however, data generated by reputable organisations which give some insight into its scope.

Recently, the United Kingdom aid agency, DFID, and the British Council, developed a report-Gender in Nigeria, 2012, which contains some of the more recent figures on aspects of domestic violence in the country.

However, the most extensive data available are contained in the National Demographic and Health Survey in 2008.  That study showed that domestic violence cuts across all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. Not less than 28 percent of all women, almost a third of all women in Nigeria, according to the report, have experienced physical violence. This is a significant number in a country of about 160 million, where almost half are women.

The Gender in Nigeria, 2012 report also indicated that young women between the ages of 15 and 24 were most likely to have experienced physical violence including wife beating.  The CHELD Domestic Media Alert, a collation of extreme domestic violence cases reported in the news every month, also bears out these figures. In essence, there are significantly high numbers of women, including the unmarried experiencing one form of domestic/gender-based violence or the other.

Sadly, there is an evident trend of suppressing the voice of victims due to the fact that the acts are largely perpetrated by the men folk including the highly placed in the society.

In 2014, the administration of Babatunde Fashola, the immediate past governor of Lagos State, identified Alimosho, Kosofe, Agege and Oshodi-Isolo local governments as the areas with the highest cases of sexual and gender based violence in the state.

As a way of checking the disturbing trend, the state government had established a Sex Offenders’ Register, otherwise called, Mandatory Reporting Policy, where cases of violence, sexual abuse, rape among others, and violators were to be reported and documented.

The primary aim of the sex offenders monitoring programme and the mandated reporter policy is to reduce repeat cases by providing names and personal details of convicted sex offenders in the state to a central database. The database is accessible to individuals and organisations that need information. For example, school proprietors who want to recruit can access the register as a form of background check.

The mandated reporter policy makes it compulsory for all state school administrators, counsellors, teachers, social welfare officers and any other officials of the state government having any dealings with children to report any suspected or actual child abuse or neglect to the attorney-general’s office. The Lagos State Sex Offenders Register is open and maintained by the ministry of justice in partnership with the Lagos State judiciary, the Nigerian Prisons and the police authorities.

The state government had also come up with other initiatives ranging from the provision of legal aid, shelter and psychological counselling services, to assist women victims.

Prevalence of the act has been attributed to the fact that on several instances victims were pressurised by the society to settle out of court to avoid stigmatisation. Unfortunately, the out-of-court settlement seems to encourage illegal acts, as perpetrators after such settlement walk free in the streets.

The current governor of the state, Akinwunmi Ambode, picking up from where his predecessor left off, recently mobilised men of like minds to the streets of Lagos, to denounce all forms of violence against the women folk.

Tagged “walk campaign” against sexual abuses, social violence, Ambode along with members of the executive council, state legislators, top government functionaries, entertainers and other participants, proceeded from Ikeja under Bridge through Awolowo Way to Lagos House, Alausa.

The march was further propelled by the report that over 700 rape, domestic violence and related cases were pending in different courts in Lagos between 2015 and 2016.

On display during the march were placards with various inscriptions such as “men say no to abuse, violence against women”,  “women are not object, respect and treat them right”.

The governor, who vehemently condemned the acts, specifically charged the Lagos Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSRVT), non-governmental organisations and other bodies connected to the fight to provide evidences against offenders to aid the course of justice.

“I will like you to join hands with me to say no to rapists, say no to women beaters and wherever they are.  We want the task force that we have set up to swing into action once it receives any petition from any member of the public. We are looking for the first 11 scapegoats whether highly or lowly placed in the society. We say no to domestic violence and sexual abuse.”

According to the governor, “It is high time we took the bull by the horn in tackling this menace of sexual and gender based violence in our society.”  He reiterated his administration’s determination to stamp out the malaise and its negative impact on the victims, their families and the society at large.

Some of the men that commented on the campaign also expressed the belief that the way forward is to continuously engage the male folk as well as the community as a whole. Community engagement, they observed, is an essential part of working to prevent and respond to all forms of gender based violence.

“As men, we must stand up and speak in one voice, condemning these acts. No more would we condone or tolerate pedophiles, women beaters and rapists. It is inhumane and totally unacceptable to protect or even ignore such behaviour when we see it manifesting in our environment,” the governor said.

Adeniji Kazeem, the state attorney-general and commissioner for Justice, who earlier flagged off the walk, asked members of the public to ensure crimes are reported as perpetrators of these acts would not go unpunished.

Richard Kasunmu, chairman Lagos State House of Assembly committee on youth and social development, noted that the aim of the all-male walk by the DSVRT was to change the narrative by purposefully engaging men whose statistics show are most often perpetrators of these heinous crimes and empower menfolk to become agents of positive change in the society.

Kabiru Shotebi, the Oba of Ikorodu, who added his voice on the issue, at a town hall meeting in his palace, charged community leaders to be a part of the campaign to stop the illegal acts.

Shotebi harped on the important role of the society, which can be summarised as: report the act, protect the victim, encourage justice and shame the perpetrator.

The monarch condemned the culture of stigmatisation, saying it would not help in stamping out such deeds, and called on victims to always open up.

Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, coordinator of DSVRT on her part, explained that the reason for the walk was to enlighten the public on the need to end the domestic violence in the state. She reiterated the fact that rape and defilement carry life imprisonment, while domestic violence and child abuse are all crimes committed against the state.

 

JOSHUA BASSEY