SOURCE: allAfrica
Lagos — The Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday said all perpetrators of domestic crimes will be made to face the wrath of the law.
Declaring this after leading an all-male walk against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), Ambode said it was time for men to tackle the menace of sex-based violence, which, as a recent research showed, affects women more as victims.
The governor led members of the state's Executive Council and House of Assembly, key government functionaries, entertainers, youths, artisans and workers in the SGBV walk, which proceeded from Ikeja under-bridge through Awolowo Way to the Lagos House in Alausa.
Addressing participants at the Lagos House, Ambode, decked in a black T-shirt and armed with a placard with the inscription, Stop Rape, Domestic Violence, Child Abuse", expressed concern on what he called "an evident trend of suppressing the voice of these victims due to the fact that these acts are perpetrated largely by men."
He said his administration would not take for granted the potential exponential effect of having emotionally and psychologically damaged women in the society, as the effect could transcend to the victims' children who grow up in an environment with the thinking that that was the norm.
Said Ambode: "The scale of men's violence against women is enormous and its effects, demoralizing. As men, we must stand up and speak in one voice, condemning these acts. No more would we condone or tolerate paedophiles, women beaters and rapists. It is inhumane and totally unacceptable to protect or even ignore such behaviour when we see it manifesting in our environment."
Ambode, commending participants in the walk, urged them to remain ambassadors and flag-bearers in the fight against domestic and sexual violence.
The governor has already constituted a taskforce that would act on petitions regarding rape and assault on women from members of the society.
"We are looking for the first 11 scapegoats, whether highly or lowly placed in the society. We say no to domestic violence and sexual abuse," Ambode said.