Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State
on Thursday led a walk against sexual and gender –based violence,
vowing that his administration would ensure that all perpetrators of
sexual crimes face the wrath of the law.
The members of the State Executive
Council, members of the state House of Assembly and entertainers, among
others, joined in the walk, which started from the Ikeja under bridge
area through Awolowo Way to the Lagos House, Alausa.
The governor, who displayed a placard
with the inscription ‘Stop Rape, Domestic Violence, Child Abuse’, said
men must take a stand by tackling the menace of gender-based crimes in
the society.
He said, “Women are mostly the victims
of sexual and gender-based violence and there is an evident trend of
suppressing the voice of these victims due to the fact that these acts
are perpetrated largely by men.
“We should not take for granted the
effect of having emotionally and psychologically damaged women in our
society, which could transcend to our children.”
Ambode said the government had initiated
several programmes to assist the victims, adding that it was also
pertinent to address the violent behaviour of men.
He said, “We firmly believe that the way
forward is to continuously engage the men, as well as the community as a
whole, to prevent and respond to all forms of gender-based violence.”
Ambode urged the participants in the walk to remain ambassadors in the fight against domestic and sexual violence.
“The conversation must be sustained in
our workplaces, religious institutions, residential areas and the social
media. If we all join hands, we can truly make Lagos uncomfortable for
perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence,” he added.
The governor also commended the Lagos
State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, organisers of the
walk, just as he said his administration would do more to ensure that
the rights of the vulnerable in the state were adequately protected.
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