The upsurge in domestic violence in the country came under focus last week as the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) revealed that between January and September this year, over 852 domestic and sexual violence cases were reported in the state. This alarming number and the recurring reports of similar cases in many other parts of the country, indicate the seriousness of this problem in Nigeria.
Giving the breakdown at a media briefing as part of the activities marking the Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month, Mr. Adeniji Kassim, the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, who is also the Chairman of DSVRT, said 564 of the cases involved in domestic violence, 60 were defilement cases, 30 rape cases, 11 attempted rape cases, 123 child neglect and abuse cases and 84 other related cases. It is even likely that the unreported cases are much higher, given the stigma and cultural restraints that are associated with cases of domestic and sexual violence in the country.
We commend the Lagos authorities for giving the necessary accent to this sad aspect of our societal life which many administrations have shied away from in the past. The sustained upsurge in the ugly incidents is worrisome, and the government, as the protector of the citizenry, must rise to the occasion to reverse the negative statistics.
The effects of these assaults live with the victims for a lifetime. They also leave their negative marks on successive generations and the society at large. This is why the problem cannot be treated with levity. On the contrary, it deserves to be handled with all the seriousness it deserves.
Recent successive administrations in Lagos appear to understand this imperative and have provided avenues to report and ventilate these cases. For example, a special fund, known as the Domestic and Sexual Violence Fund, has been set up to help victims of domestic violence to achieve meaningful reintegration into society. As Kassim also disclosed, the activities of the state response team have helped more men to come forward to report domestic abuse. Whereas, only 14 men came forward last year, 55 cases have so far been recorded for the men in 2017.
This, if anything, gives the lie to the generally held view that domestic and sexual violence affects females alone. The problem is much more serious and rampant. As the data collated from victims show, 95 per cent of the perpetrators are known to the victims. They are parents, relatives, close neighbours and, many times, people that the victims hitherto looked up to for mentorship and direction.
This realisation is at the very crux of the physical and psychological trauma that the victims are left to cope with. One good way to avoid marital domestic violence is for intending couples to establish a community of compatibilities on as many fronts as possible before venturing into marriage.
No area is too sacred or too little to ignore. Intending couples must check for social, emotional, economic, cultural and physical compatibilities to ensure that their marriages do not end in violence, divorce or death.
The fear of stigmatization is a definite reason a number of rape and attempted rape cases would never be reported. This is why priority must be given to preventing the possibility of rape occurring in the first place. Prevention is always better than cure.
One other way to reduce rape cases is to review the burden placed on victims to prove their cases. While the stringent conditions may be to prevent the possibility of unscrupulous persons bringing up frivolous charges, the reality is that the law, as it is now, overprotects the perpetrators and makes it almost impossible to prove rape. If the perpetrators are visited with the full weight of the law, that would encourage many more victims to come out and press charges against rapists. Apart from seeking justice, there is the therapeutic benefit of disclosing and sharing the experience with others.
Of course, domestic violence cases go beyond rape. There is also the physical, mental and psychological violence to which minors, especially domestic helps, are subjected. Even some depraved people do not spare their own children this ordeal. The only way out is continued sensitization of the populace to this heinous crime and the enforcement of the extant laws to serve as a deterrent to the perpetrators.