By Olusegun Olanrewaju
Worried over the growing cases of domestic abuse in neighbourhoods across Nigeria, the Hawkins Deck of the National Association of Seadogs at the weekend took the campaign against sexual, and domestic violence to the Igando community in the Alimosho axis of Lagos State.
The association said the negative development was of great concern and victims seem to be ignorant of options in legally prosecuting perpetrators thereby inflaming more cases of abusive behaviour.
Speaking at the event hosted by the Onigando of Igando, Oba Lasisi Gbadebo Gbadamosi (Orootan III) at his place in Igando, the Cap’n of Hawkins Deck, Mr Jude Alaneme, noted that in a recent study which had 78 per cent of respondents, 54 per cent of victims of domestic violence were women, 16 per cent were children and nine per cent were men.
The campaign by Hawkins Deck was done in collaboration with Blizzard Deck, one of NAS’ branches in the United States.
He said the association was moved to embark on the campaign to stop the menace because domestic violence causes psychological trauma to the victims, destroys the smallest unit of society, causes death, and impacts the economy.
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He said, “Domestic violence creates unstable families, causes death and traumatic conditions for victims. Many victims, however, fear to report cases due to ignorance of the existence of institutions that provide legal services, ignorance of the act as a punishable crime, lack of funds to pursue justice or traditional belief system.
“Our approach will sensitive locals about the act of domestic violence as a punishable crime, create local watchdogs to report cases in their localities and provide information about the government agency responsible for treating such cases and also avail a helping hand in fast-tracking help for victims on pro bono basis.
“There seem to be few states who have codified laws to punish domestic violence cases in the domain and for some states who already have its laws codified; the Government does not have an institution to provide pro bono services to victims nor do they provide information on how locals can go about finding solutions to their issues.
“The Lagos State Government have taken the bold initiative of setting up a Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency for addressing the growing cases of domestic violence and it can visibly see that the agency is working hard to publicize its services and to make victims easily access pro bono services.
“Hawkins Deck therefore through this project intends to support the awareness about the agency’s work within the waters, enlist its Women and Children’s Rights Advocacy (WACRA) committee into pro bono legal services for victims, and create local volunteers who can report cases of domestic violence happening in their localities.”
Also speaking, an official of the Lagos State Domestic Violence Agency, Mrs Kafayat Salami, lamented that people go through all forms of abuse without knowing where to go.
She said the state has stepped up the drive to reduce cases of sexual and domestic abuse, calling on abuse victims to reach out to the agency’s hotline: 08000-333-333 to lodge their complaints and they would take up their cases on a pro bono basis.
Similarly, a Lagos-based lawyer, Adejumo Jubril, said beyond rape, which is common among young adults between the ages of 20 and 30, cases of ritual killings have assumed an alarming dimension.
He, therefore, charged the society to rethink and take steps to re-grooming the youths.
The host monarch, Oba Gbadamosi, who was represented by Raman Galubi, said the families have a big role to play by continuously counselling the youths against violent behaviours.
