Even though the following statement may sound incredible, it is nonetheless very true. It has been revealed that about 55 husbands have reported to the Lagos State Government how their wives battered them in renewed cases of domestic violence in the state.
According to PM News, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lagos State, Adeniji Kazeem at a media briefing in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria on Tuesday revealed that more men were now coming forward to report cases of violence against them by their womenfolk.
Kazeem, who is the chairman, Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT), said there had been 55 cases of men reporting domestic violence against them by their wives between January 2017 and now as against 14 that was recorded last year.
“The trends from the data disclose an increase in men coming forward to report cases of Domestic Violence. This year a total of 55 men came forward to report. This is in contrast to 14 men that reported last year,” he said, saying that these reports range from emotional and physical abuse by their wives.
However, Kazeem disclosed that between January and September 2017, a total of 852 cases of domestic violence and related cases were recorded in Lagos State, saying that out of the total number, there were 564 domestic violence cases, 60 defilement cases, 30 rape cases, 11 attempted rape, 123 child neglect and abuse cases, and 84 other cases.
He said the data revealed that most of sexual assault cases were perpetrated in the afternoon during weekdays, while corroborating that 95 percent of the perpetrators of sexual violence were known to the victims, which according to him, necessitated the need to embark on sensitization campaigns for parents on parenting skills and child abuse prevention tips as well as training for children on child’s rights, child abuse, safety and how to preserve evidence.
While some of the cases have been charged to court, Kazeem said the State Government through the Ministry of Youth and Social Development and other stakeholders, provided shelter for the survivors.
Aside that, the Commissioner said all the survivours of sexual assault received medical attention from comprehensive Primary Health Care Centres and referral centres, among other efforts to properly rehabilitate and reintegrate them into the society.
Kazeem, however, noted that under the present administration, the interventions of DSVRT were gradually breaking the silence around issues of sexual and gender based violence in the State.
“There is a growing confidence urging people to speak out more, there is an astronomical increase in reporting of cases in the media. Lagos has indeed revolutionize the way sexual and gender based violence is being tackled in Nigeria with all the pioneering initiatives of Governor Ambode,” Kazeem said.
Besides, the Attorney General revealed that the State Government has concluded plans to launch a short service code that would afford residents the opportunity of reporting cases of domestic violence, sexual abuse, child abuse and other related offences with ease.
He said the initiative was aimed at ensuring that victims of all forms of abuse reach out to the appropriate agencies and receive timely information on what to do and where to get assistance.
“This would be achieved by members of the public using keywords, that is, ‘Child Abuse to 6820’ or *6820# and an interactive menu browser to get the relevant information from such users such as name, location, specific case or complaint which would in turn ensure that the whole response team is automatically activated.
“Anybody that needs to report a case of child abuse, rape or domestic violence or requires a child or a woman to be rescued can make use of the platform and should receive timely and accurate information”, Adeniji said.
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