Within the mild of current rape, sexual assault and even homicide of some girls in Lagos state and across the nation, the Lagos State Home and Sexual Violence Response Workforce (DSVRT), in partnership with the Centre for Ladies’s Well being and Data (CEWHIN), Highlight Initiative comprising the United Nations Improvement Programme (UNDP) Nigeria, United Nations (UNWomen) and UNESCO, the Lagos State Judiciary, in addition to different sister businesses, lately held a digital multi-stakeholder dialogue to debate methods to enhance the state’s stage response to Sexual and Gender Primarily based Violence (SGBV).
The aim of the assembly was to allow strategic actors have a joint assessment of response to SGBV, develop sturdy networks and partnerships amongst different points.
Giving the welcome deal with, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) lamented that, regardless of a number of measures put in place by the state authorities, girls and women are nonetheless uncovered to sexual violence and assault every day and hoped that the dialogue addresses challenges and gaps within the system.
Dean, College of Social Sciences, UNILAG, Prof Olufunlayo Bammeke, who was the lead speaker, touched on a number of elements which can be serving to SGBV thrive in Nigeria, together with spiritual, social, societal and cultural elements.
“So many issues stop girls from leaving dangerous marriages and relationships akin to financial elements, stigmatisation from her household and society, worry of what would occur to her youngsters and so forth. CSOs and SGBV responders should eschew sufferer blaming, corruption, stigmatisation, secondary victimisation and should embrace improved capability coaching. We additionally need to do away with the destructive angle of the police nationally, judicial officers lack of expertise relating to rights of survivors, and lack of belief within the authorized/felony justice system. Many survivors sadly can’t entry the justice system.
“As a result of individuals, who have been abused as youngsters, are likely to change into abusers themselves, we mustn’t depart youngsters out of the enlightenment course of; we should re-educate our boys. We’re additionally doing necessary prosecution and this merely signifies that in instances of identified rape and assault, even when the survivor refuses to prosecute for causes finest identified to them, the federal government would take up the case and prosecute the perpetrator. There’s want for elevated consciousness and re-orientation, sensitisation on what constitutes assault and sexual violence. A whole lot of girls don’t know what constitutes sexual assault and imagine as a result of it’s their boyfriend or husband, they have to endure all method of issues; that is false. We additionally must foster, prepare and re-train group advocates and contain males on this struggle. Lastly, we should contain spiritual leaders as a result of they’re crucial on this struggle. As we’ve come to understand, most survivors first contain their spiritual chief after they’re experiencing SGBV earlier than involving every other particular person.”
Dr Oluwajimi Sodipo, a sexual assault doctor, spoke on the gaps and areas of alternative because it pertains to well being. He divulged that presently, there are nonetheless plenty of myths surrounding sexual violence and quite a bit must be carried out to handle that.
He stated the struggle might be improved upon by coaching frontline staff, strengthening the method of DNA evaluation and the courtroom system, extra Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs), improved advocacy and collaboration between the federal government businesses, stakeholders and most people. Director of public defender, Dr Babajide Martins, who spoke on the Administration of felony justice system to SGBV: Gaps and challenges in prosecution, listed main gaps to incorporate investigation, trial and post-trial challenges, lack of immediate investigation and switch of instances from the place the assault happened.
Others embody the necessity for DNA and strong investigation of crime scenes, time losing ways and intimidation of survivors by perpetrators and their households.
“We have to take away the stigma round sexual violence. Even when proof was informally obtained from an accused, it may possibly nonetheless be utilized in our courts.
We additionally must institute the witness anonymity order and video recording, whereby the video might be transferred to different jurisdictions (regardless of the place it’s moved or what number of occasions it’s moved) or performed in courtroom slightly than have the survivor preserve recanting her assertion each time to a brand new police or choose.”
On the function of forensics in fixing SGBV, Centre Director, Lagos State DNA and Forensic Heart, Dr Richard Somiari, revealed that forensic proof is most helpful in ‘stranger instances’ (the place the id of the rapist is unknown to the survivor), serial instances, instances the place the suspect is denying, violent instances and instances the place the sufferer is unable to specific themselves both attributable to age, incapacity or psychological incapacity.
“To enhance SGBV response, we should standardise schooling, tools, assets and coaching for responders, set up a devoted Lagos State Crime Scene Investigation Unit (LA-CSI) and enact legal guidelines that may permit the gathering of DNA for entry into the Lagos State offender DNA database,” he stated.
Supply: guardian.ng
