By Bianca Iboma
women protesters under the aegis of Alliance Against Domestic Violence & Abuse (AADVA), recently stormed the Governor’s Office, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, protesting the rising cases of sexual abuse of minors, including infants.
The women who were clad in black wanted the culture of rape stopped. They gathered for hours blocking the entrance to the Governor’s Office despite a downpour, carrying placards with inscriptions: “Stop the abuse;” “Give our children a future” and “Protect our children against violence.”
Dr. Ama Onyerinma, the convener, said most rape cases were suppressed by parents/relatives for fear of social stigmatization and the belief that culprits are hardly convicted:
“The cases of child rape are on the rise in Nigeria; no day passes without an incident. Rape is a conscious process of intimidation wherein perpetrators keep women and children especially, in a state of constant fear. Rape devalues the victim.
“It is a crime, which stigmatizes the emotions, a crime of insult, oppression and revenge that needs to be punished because a rapist is a criminal and all crimes and their beneficiaries must be punished. Rape and other forms of sexual harassment need the urgent and serious attention of family, institutions, civil society groups, government and the international community.”
She stressed that the culture of silence has made rape cases prevalent and needed education and a lot of advocacy for victims to speak up and get justice. She said prompt professional response from the police should not be compromised whether the perpetrator is a family relative or not justice must prevail.
She enjoined parents to report rape incident and ensure that culprits are punished with severe punishment: “We really want to ensure a violence-free society for all.”
Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Lola Akande, told the protesters said government was doing everything possible to stem the tide through its security trust fund and ministries of Justice, Youths Sports and Social Development, Education and Women Affairs.