A non governmental organisation Societal Concerns Organization organised a forum in which activists, policymakers, and members of the ublic addressed the growing menace of gender-based violence, with a particular focus on femicide.
Newsconnect reports that the event was held on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, at the LCCI Hall in Lagos.
The event highlighted the prevalence of femicide cases across the country and their devastating impact on families and communities.
Survivors, experts, and advocates shared personal experiences and strategic insights, emphasizing the need for collective action to combat the crisis.
Attendees stressed the importance of raising awareness, fostering community involvement, and advancing gender equality as essential steps to curb gender-based violence.
Key speakers explored the cultural, societal, and institutional factors that sustain violence against women.
They called for immediate policy reforms, stricter enforcement of existing laws, and enhanced support systems for victims and their families.
Kareem Kadijat Omotayo, Personal Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Constituency Affairs, reaffirmed the president’s commitment to gender equality and inclusion.
She emphasized that the administration is determined to address gender-based violence through actionable policies and inclusive governance.
She said: “Mr. President is a man for all, he doesn’t believe in your gender before he addresses the issue facing Nigeria as a whole.
Mr. President is committed to working tirelessly to bring back renewed hope to Nigerians, not for only the female.”
Arabirin, Hon. Princess Dr. Folashade Olabanji-Oba, National Chairman association of Local Government vice chairman of Nigeria and Executive vice chairman Ikorodu local government addressed the need to prioritize women in the country stating that women hold up almost half of the population in Nigeria and when their needs are not prioritized, the country is shortchanged.
“We are a very much a work in progress. We’re not yet there, but then we’re not where we used to be, so the good thing is the narratives are changing and they are changing positively.
“And so prioritizing women, yes, because the numbers don’t match up, but also investing on our men, the youth, okay, to be tolerant, to also know that in this world, the women are meant to be their greatest helpmates as well. So we must have he for she and she for he. Two very critical factors that Nigeria will take its place among the greatest nations when we truly prioritize our needs, understanding that the numbers of the women is also almost 50-50.
“And when you don’t think it’s important to take care of the needs of almost half of your population, then the country is short changed at that. So it is very important that we all come together, help one another, love one another, and no matter the cultural baggage that we seem to say we’ve had, prioritize that that woman can be your sister, your mother, your whatever, but please invest in a girl child and be the best wherever you find yourself.”
Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) representative, Orhevba Sheila stated that the organization is doing all in its power to prosecute offenders and will hope to make more arrests and prosecutions in the come year.
“The truth is about domestic violence. Like, I think some of the speakers spoke a lot.
“You find that the survivors are often the ones that, you know, drop the cases and say they don’t want to prosecute. You know, because of the nature of our society, the patriarchal nature and the belief of some women that without their partners, you know, they are really nothing. So, that has been a factor that has been working against us.
“But for sexual violence, I also mentioned during my presentation that, you know, these cases are one that’s investigation. And the investigation is done by the police. So, what we are doing for next year is strengthening the capacity of the police, which we’ve been doing.
“But we’ll do more next year, by the grace of God, by training them on how to handle investigation. Because once your investigation is done properly, convictions will be quite easy to prosecute. Alright, thank you very much.”
The convener of the event urged for a unanimous agreement that gender based violence should be unacceptable.
“We need to come to a realization that gender based violence should not be tolerated in our society, and that’s why we are here to put out the word against femicide, it is well know the ladies and women are on the receiving end and we need to come together to identify with those people have lost something, losing something about to lose something, we have to prevent that.”