The Lagos state Attorney General
and Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem, has said that most of sexual
assault cases between January and September 2017 were perpetrated in the
afternoon during weekdays.
He stated this on Tuesday at a
media parley held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa to commemorate the
Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month.
According to him, 95 percent of
the perpetrators of sexual violence in the state are known to the victims.
He said, “the revelation
necessitated the need to embark on sensitization campaigns for parents on
parenting skills and child abuse prevention tips as well as trainings for
children on child’s rights, child abuse, safety and how to preserve evidence.
“While some of the cases have
been charged to court, the State Government through the Ministry of Youth and
Social Development and other stakeholders, provided shelter for the survivors.”
The Commissioner said all the
survivors of sexual assault received medical attention from comprehensive
Primary Health Care Centres and referral centres, among other efforts to
properly rehabilitate and re-integrate them into the society.
Kazeem disclosed that a total 852
cases of domestic violence has so far been recorded this year out of which
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 also said the trend from the
data showed an increase in men coming forward to report cases of domestic
violence as a total number of 55 men came forward to report in contrast to 14
men that reported last year.
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 confdence
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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