In this interview, Coordinator, Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, Lola Vivour-Adeniyi, speaks with Dorcas Egede about the effort of the government at combating all forms of abuse in the state.
Can you share with us one of the most memorable cases of abuse you’ve dealt with on the job?
The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team was inaugurated on the 11th of September 2014. It is headed by the Attorney General, and we have representatives from different ministries, private sectors and the media, working together to provide a holistic response to issues of rape, domestic violence, child abuse, maltreatment. We’ve had several cases, but personally, cases that touch me most are child abuse cases. You know, for domestic violence, there comes a time when the woman or the man (but most times it’s the woman) takes the decision to leave the abusive relationship and we help them reach that decision; but this is not the same for a child. A child, who is maybe two years old, poops on himself and he’s beaten mercilessly; or a child steals meat because he is hungry and he’s beaten and disfigured. People that are in fiduciary relationship with the children, people that are supposed to love and care for them, are the same people perpetrating this act. Unfortunately, the response we get from the society is not too encouraging. When government tries to ensure that justice is served, not just for the child, but for the state, we have resistance. People tell us that we cannot arrest the mother or the aunty, forgetting that these people have committed a criminal offence, because child abuse is a criminal offence.
All the cases of child abuse we have had are very very sad, but there was one that really touched me. It was a case of neglect, which obviously led to maltreatment and sexual abuse. There was a six-year-old girl who was being physically abused by her aunty; she got solace in a 35-year-old neighbour, who began to sexually abuse her. That one was particularly pathetic, because we first had to treat the physical wounds and then the emotional and psychological impact of the sexual abuse. What would be your major achievements since setting out on this assignment?
Last year, we were able to secure three convictions (two two-year convictions and one four-year conviction) for physical abuse on children. For rape and defilement, since last year, we’ve been able to secure up to seven convictions. Fortunately for us, most of the defendants pleaded guilty in court because the evidences against them were clear, and the police had done proper investigations. We haven’t been able to secure any convictions on domestic violence; and I don’t think this is a measure of success or impact of our effort on domestic violence, because all over the world, survivors of domestic violence rarely want to prosecute the perpetrator. If you are privileged to meet a survivor of domestic violence, she just tells you all she wants is for the beating to stop. So our success stories for domestic violence is when we are able, if parties are willing, to provide psychosocial therapy for the couple on anger management, behavioural management; expose them to proper psychosocial support, where they are able to communicate without resorting to fists.
Another way is ensuring settlement in terms of separation and ensuring that the impact is not too hard on the children. Because most times when the woman says she’s ready to leave, the man now uses the children as blackmail to keep her in the relationship; don’t forget that is the reason she has remained in that relationship in the first place. So providing holistic response to our survivors is one way of measuring our success.
Another measure of success is in the increase in reporting. It is not coincidental that people are now more aware of our support services and now know that they can call certain numbers or go to a certain office to get some sort of justice.
What are some of these support services?
We offer legal support for instance. Sometimes, a woman may want a judicial separation, if they’re legally married; she may want to file for divorce or custody, and would need legal representation. Most times, it’s psychosocial support; the woman may not know what she wants, or how to make an informed decision, so we get them in touch with our psychologists. And for the children, they have witnessed intimate partner violence. We don’t want to breed children who are broken, because it’s a vicious cycle. So we provide that support as well, so that the children are able to heal and move on from that exposure and come to terms with the fact that it is not normal. Some of these perpetrators were victims of intimate partner violence.
We also provide emergency assistance. We go in and rescue. This is more for children. Sometimes, we’ve had to rescue the women that are being abused physically by their partners. Another support is emergency assistance in terms of shelter. Sometimes, the woman just needs to leave with her children, albeit for three or six months, have a place where they can think and reach an informed decision; then of course, awareness and sensitization; getting the message across to people so they can make use of our services. Another thing we’ve noticed is that people don’t know what the legal process of a divorce is. So, we have survival advocates who accompany clients to the different responder agencies, be it the police, health facility, court; court especially, because they don’t know anything that is going on in court, they just see a magistrate adjudicating. So, we need to be there to tell them what is happening, the next step…, literally hold their hands. Another thing we do is help manage their expectations, because some people feel if they report a case of abuse or violence today, they will get justice tomorrow, forgetting that the wheel of justice turns very slowly.
What happens where someone is suffering domestic violence and refuses to speak out for fear of losing her marriage? Is there something a neighbour, friend, colleague, relative can do?
Yes, you’re a mandated reporter. There is actually an executive order to that effect. If you see or perceive abuse, you are mandated to report, because failing to report is actually a criminal offence, you’re compounding a felony. The beauty of reporting is that you can report anonymously and we’re having a lot of this. It’s almost like the whistle-blowing policy. Even if the victim is not willing to leave, it will be on record that you did what you could. The Prevention against Domestic Violence Law, 2007 actually encourages busy bodies. You don’t need to be connected to the person to report. You can actually approach the court for a restraining order on behalf of the person that is in that violent relationship, because most domestic violence survivors generally are so intimidated, they don’t want to speak up.
What are some of the challenges you’ve come up against?
I think it’s in two-folds; institutional and societal. Institutional refers to responder agencies not responding professionally, but I think that is changing in Lagos State. Initially, people used to and still criticise the police, but I want to say that there is a new face of the police in the way they handle these issues. In Lagos, we have 11 specialised units that attend to these issues in a professional manner and treat clients with the empathy they deserve. I think the society is the biggest problem we have. Some segments of the society don’t even feel that these are crimes. We have landlords, market women, pastors, Imams, traditional rulers, calling and begging on behalf of the defendants. So, what we plan to do in the next six months is work on the communities. What is the role of the community?
Despite campaigns by the government and NGOs, we still read about child abuse, defilement, domestic violence in the dailies, does this mean that violence has come to stay?
I think violence has always been there. The good thing is that it’s now on the front burner, and I think there are three factors that are attributable to this. The first is increased zero tolerance to this issue. People cannot just keep quiet anymore. Number two, people are now more aware of the support services available. There are more doors of justice that are accessible to people. And finally for us, there is a political will in Lagos State to fight this menace.
What is the jail term for defilement and have there been any convictions?
In Lagos State, it is life imprisonment, section 137. But the highest term we’ve gotten is 21 years, in 2015.
I do know that men also suffer domestic violence; do you get any such cases?
Last year, we had eight cases of domestic violence where men were the victims. This year, we’ve had two. The unfortunate thing is that males are abused emotionally and verbally, not physically. But, personally, I think that emotional abuse is worse than physical abuse. Physical is visible and you can treat, but in emotional and verbal, there is no evidence. We have actually started a campaign on something we call ‘mutual submission’ on how a couple should speak to each other. We’ve had men speak of how their wives wake up in the morning and it’s abuse, abuse, abuse till night.
How has this job impacted on your life personally?
Oh I love my family more! I love my children more. I think the downside may be that I have become very double-o-seven-inspector-gadget. It’s not like I’m checking to see if a child is being abused. But you know, sometimes, I go to the market and I see a child that is naked, and I go like, “Where’s the mother of this child?” Sometimes, I just have to remind myself to calm down.
How readily accessible is the Lagos State DSVRT?
You can access us through 112. We have a hotline, 08137960048; we’re also on social media, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. On Twitter, we get cases sent straight to our handle and we respond. We also have a very active website that has a lot of information on signs to look out for, how you become a mandated reporter, how to join a support and healing group; what is rape and steps you should take if you’ve been sexually abused.
