- DSVA engages religious leaders on menace
- By Adebisi Onanuga and Elizabeth Eze
Lagos State government has trained over 40 police officers on best practices for investigating and prosecuting incidents of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
Participants at the three- day training session were drawn from the State’s Family Support Units (FSUs) and other formations including Force Criminal Investigative Department CID Alagbon and Panti (D10).
The Executive Secretary Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, (DSVA), Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi said the engagement was designed to acquiant them with emerging trends on domestic and sexual violence and know how to relate with them when the needs arise.
“Sexual and Gender-Based Violence is a globally pervasive human rights violation which the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has declared zero tolerance for all forms of this menace.
She explained that the police has an indispensable role to play in ensuring survivors are able to access justice, perpetrators are held accountable which is critical in serving as a deterrence.
“The truth of the matter is that cases are not won in court, they are won at investigation stage and so we need the police to conduct thorough investigation when these cases are reported to their stations.
“They must know the best practices for interviewing survivors and the intricacies involved and the investigation techniques in facing the alleged perpetrators at the scenes of the crime, connecting the suspect to crime.” she said
She maintained that the State is working assiduously to ensure that going forward there are solid investigations conducted by these personnel as the state is craving for an increase in conviction and increase faith in the system.
Facilitator at the training, Mrs Atinuke Odukoya of the Centre for Women’s Health and Information (CWHI) took the participants on the issues of socialization, culture, social norms, value system and how they impact on how the police officers within the family support units respond to issues of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.
She said “We all know that things that we have behind our minds are in terms of how we have been raised or how our society has raised our expectations and attitudes with behaviours and how we are supposed to respond to issues, those impacts affect the way we respond to cases that survivors bring to the station when they come.
“One of the things that we needed them to see is the fact that these people that you are responding to, they are coming with a lot of trauma. So it’s not in your place to determine because of how you feel or how you think or what you think is the way they should be dressed or the way they should talk on how they should be able to respond to cases.”
Odukoya enjoined the officers to look beyond ethnic coloration while making judgment and to see that objectivity is key and investigating the cases with all objectivity towards ensuring that justice is served “because justice is a form of prevention.”
An SGBV Consultant, Mrs Juliet Olumuyiwa Rufai took the participants on issues such as “Guiding principles of SGBV Roe Play and the approach to SGBV Response, Survivor -centered and Multi-Sectoral.
She highlighted the approaches to look out for when handling SGBV cases.
In his presentation, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP)Lagos state, Dr Babajide Martins highlighted the relevant laws in relation to their areas of investigation and put in perspective what is expected of them in terms of implementation, investigation and apprehension of offenders and preparing them to give good testimonies when they are invited in court by the directorate.
He said some of the challenges are the process of getting officers to come and give evidence in court , stressing that the training session will avail them the opportunity to know what their roles are and what is expected of them when they are coming to give evidence in court.
Read Also: Lagos agencies to provide PWDs with SGBV services
Some of the participants called for more sensitization at community levels as well as reaching out to religious and traditional rulers to cascade the messages to the people.
In a related development, the DSVA has engaged about 200 religious leaders on SGBV as well as the role of religious clerics in preventing and responding to the vicious menace.
Mrs Vivour-Adeniyi lectured the clergy men on the provisions of the Protection Against Domestic Violence Law, 2015, the Criminal law of Lagos state, 2015 ( as amended) as well as the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency Law, 2021.
She took the participants through the different section the laws, in order for them to be knowledgeable about the intricacies of the document, including section 261 which is on sexual assault by penetration and 137 which is about unlawful sexual intercourse with a child that attracts life imprisonment without option of fines among others.
She explained that one of the major aims of the Domestic Violence law is to prevent domestic violence from happening and that can be achieved through a restraining order granted by the court.
“The truth is that sexual and Gender-Based Violence is not a respecter of age, class, grade or religion. Indeed, anybody can perpetrate it and anyone can also become a victim, so it is important to engage religious leaders from this perspective.”
“We know sometimes you serve as first responders whenever issues of Gender-Based violence are reported. it is therefore important for us to let you know the relevant laws that exist and support services available that your congregation can take advantage of anytime the need arises.”
Vivour-Adeniyi added that there are 22 specialised police stations in the state that can be reached on issues of Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, while informing the participants that the High courts and Magistrate courts that have criminal jurisdiction are the appropriate courts that can grant a restraining/ protection Order against an abusive partner / spouse
According to her: “We have Protection Against Domestic Violence law 2015 as amended, that law basically seeks to prevent reoccurrence of violence by encouraging survivors to approach the court and obtain what is called protection or restraining order. We also have the Criminal Law of Lagos state which is to regulate criminal conduct.
The Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency Law 2021 which introduced some new provisions like child pornography, sex for grades, frustrating investigation, concealment of an offence were also considered. It is our hope that this engagement will further broaden the knowledge for participants to assert their roles on how to make a case for survivors as well as make necessary referral to relevant responder agencies and seek justice for them.
The Presiding Chaplain, Chapel of Christ Delight Lagos State, Rev Dr Oladele Ajayi said that the church has been and would continue to be at the fore front to ensure several marriages that are on the verge of collapsing are restored.
He said “The reality is that we have this problem around and as a pastor we have seen so many issues on domestic violence, either complaints by a wife or husband it could be emotional financial or physical abuse at some point we have to engage to the level of separation. We must continue to inform them about the laws of the land as well as the punishments that can be meted out against anyone that perpetrates any form of abuse and people should desist form stigmatising those that have come out to speak of being abused.”
The Chief Missioner Nasirullahi-li-Fathi society NASFAT, Imam Abdul Azeez Onike, said Islam preaches peace and tranquil ambience between couples and frowns at any act that can jeopardize peaceful coexistence among the people.
Onike said many islamic organisations including NASFAT have been working with numerous NGOs to enlighten and advance the campaign against any form of Gender-Based violence, and prevent anything that can breed peaceful homes.
He appreciated the state government for taking up the initiative that will improve family ties and bring about a perfect society that devoid of rancour, enmity and ensure sanity among the citizenry.
A continuous call for sensitization by the government and stakeholders was made as the participants advocated for an end to Domestic and Sexual Violence and also enjoined victims and survivors to break the culture of silence and escalate the case to the appropriate quarters in order to access justice.