Treat Rape As COVID-19 Pandemic — Sanwo-Olu

Tobi Adebayo 

Wife of Lagos State Governor, Dr (Mrs.) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu has said sexual violence against women and girls must be treated with the same level of seriousness as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sanwo-Olu made the call while receiving participants at a special All-Male awareness walk organized by the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) in collaboration with Partnership For Justice and Mirabel Centre against rape in Alausa.

The First Lady called on Nigerian men to replicate the ongoing massive anti-racism protest in United States in Nigeria against sexual and gender-based violence to send a strong message against rape and its perpetrators.

“It is laudable to see men come out to send strong message against rape and ending sexual and gender-based violence in Lagos State. I am very happy that we are able to do this and I hope this will not be the last time we are going to see men coming out like this.

“I pray by the grace of God when we are going to repeat this event, we will have over 20 million men standing behind us. You know how they caused a movement in America where everybody came out; that is the type of movement we want to see here in Nigeria against rape.

READ ALSO: COVID-19: India To Evacuate Its Nationals From Nigeria

“It is sad that while we fight Corona Virus pandemic, an unseen enemy, we are still having to deal with issues of a seen enemy and that is the perpetrators of rape and other forms of violence against women and children.

“According to the 2014 National Survey on Violence Against Children in Nigeria, one in every four women have experienced sexual violence in childhood, with over 70 per cent of them reporting more than one incident. Of the 24.8 per cent of women aged 18 to 24 who have experienced sexual abuse before the age of 18, a dismal 5 per cent sought help, and just 3.5 per cent received any assistance.

“Statistics also show that cases of Sexual and Gender-based violence against children cut across abuses within the home or the community by parents, male and female relatives, guardians, teachers, religious leaders, employers, employees, strangers, landlords, sons of landlords, among others.

“These occurrences cannot be ignored and as a matter of fact and emergency requiring an all-hands on deck approach especially as it can be fatal in some situations and as mentioned by the men that it is an emergency, we should not take the issue of rape for granted. As we treated Covid-19 where we opened emergency isolation centres, I think this needs to draw that kind of emergency centres too.

Speaking on the recent incidents of rape of a two-year-old girl and an 18-year-old lady in the State, the First Lady said it was unfortunate that such happened, saying while the State Government had swiftly move to take custody of the minor and given the victims medical treatment and necessary care, every effort must be made by relevant agencies of government to ensure that justice is served to perpetrators of such heinous crime not only in Lagos but across the country.