Wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, and her Lagos State counterpart, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, have called for the collaboration of health sector and other stakeholders to stamp out Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) from the society.
They spoke at the launch of the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Virtual Response and Referral System, a helpline designed to respond to calls for help by survivors of gender-based violence 24/7 held at Protea Hotel, Alausa, Ikeja.
It was organised by the Lagos Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) in partnership with The Women’s Helping Hand and the European Union (EU) funded Spotlight Initiative with technical support by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), among others.
The virtual platform will provide 24-hour clock service with uninterrupted access to trained service providers using free toll line 08000333333 and harsh tag #safety in a number.
Services to be provided include counselling, legal, medical referrals through telephone and where physical contact is made, referral would be made to relevant service provider free of charge.
Mrs Osinbajo, who is the founder of The Women’s Helping Hand, a partner of DSVRT, advocated effective response for survivors of SGBV and for the creation of more awareness of the menace.
She also advocated for “swift and stiff punishment for perpetrators to the full extent of the law” to stop impunity saying that the full wrath of the law should be meted on them.
She commended all initiators of the platform, including DSVRT, the UN Spotlight Initiative, UNFPA, European Union (EU), The Women’s Helping Hand, the social workers and community leaders among others for coming together to fighting the menace and bringing succour to victims of SGBV.
Mrs Sanwo-Olu noted that events since the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown had shown that stamping out the monstrous crime would require that all stakeholders work together to kick out SGBV from society.
The governor’s wife said in rising to the challenge, several measures were put in place through a multi-sectorial stakeholders initiatives led by the office of First Lady with the support of relevant ministries, department and agencies including the Police, Judiciary, Ministries of Health, Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and Youth and Social Development among others.
She described the launch of the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Virtual Response and Referral System as a step in the right direction designed to reduce significantly GBV in the state.
Mrs Sanwo-Olu urged survivors to take advantage of the new referral platform designed to provide uninterrupted SGBV services.
“With the advent of social media as effective means of communication, it naturally follows that the platform will play a crucial role in addressing SGBV, especially from the point of reporting to the appropriate authority and bringing same to public conscience”, she further stated.
She appealed to members of the Lagos state Assembly to speed up work to provide need legal framework for the Sexual Offenders Register.
Country Representative of the UNFPA, Ms Ulla Muller described gender-based violence as a gross violation of human rights.
She noted that providing accessible gender-based violence service was a step in attaining the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
According to her, the UN Nigerian Demographical Survey of 2018 showed that 27.7 per cent of women in Lagos have experienced physical violence before the age of 15, noting that that is more than 2.5 million women in Lagos alone.
“Prior to the pandemic, 16.6 per cent of women in Lagos State sought help to end gender-based violence that is more than a million women”, she added.
”The GBV virtual referral service is a flagship for us and is an innovative service delivery model. It has inspired us and grew out of COVID-19 and it tells us that something good can come out of a crisis,” Muller said.
Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) noted that the issue of SGBV has become a matter of life and death to survivors.
Onigbanjo said that the new initiative is a giant leap for survivors of SGBV as it has provided an avenue to access justice.
Ms Titilayo Shitta-Bey, Lagos State Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice said the virtual system was established due to barriers to access services by survivors of GBV during the COVID-19 pandemic.
”Through this innovation, we will be able to ensure holistic support to survivors at no cost and survivors will be encouraged to actively pursue justice on their road to healing,” she said.
Credit: The Nation
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