Wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs. Bamidele says her position to fight Violence Against Persons remains unshakable, as her move in the direction was to protect the poor and rich, children and adults without any form of discrimination.
Mrs. Abiodun, who stated this in Abeokuta at the quarterly meeting of Violence Against Persons Prohibition Management Committee, described the unwholesome act as a pervasive problem that affects individuals, families, and communities around the world.
She noted that it was usually perpetrated against individuals without their will, which has far-reached consequences that extend beyond the immediate physical harm that was inflicted.
"We have taken a firm stance against violence against persons through the domestication of Violence Against Persons (VAPP) Law in 2017. This law provides protection for all citizens of the State, both poor and rich, children and adults without any form of discrimination. Under this law, everybody is equal, and there are strict punishments for offenders who disobey the VAPP Law", she stated
The Governor's wife stated that eradication of Violence Against Persons requires a concerted effort from all stakeholders, which include, partnership and collaborations between the government, civil society, private sector and the media, in order to promote gender equality and women's empowerment and create safe spaces for the survivor to report incidents of violence, calling on victims of the sexual assault to speak up and not feel threatened whenever they were molested.
The State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Efuwape in her keynote address, advocated for collective action in the fight against Gender-Based Violence in order to achieve notable results, saying the menace has great physical and mental implications on individuals and society at large.
In their separate goodwill messages, representatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr. Amos Ajayi, Dr. Abiola Akiode of Women Advocate Research and Documentation Centre, (WARDC) Dr. Somefun (UNFPA), among others, appreciated the giant strides of the State Government towards putting an end to Gender-Based Violence, expressing delight with the way girl-child and womenfolk were protected, promising their unflinching support towards reducing this menace if not totally eradicated.
In her contribution, the Coordinator, VAPPMC, Mrs. Peju Osoba, highlighted some of the objectives of the Committee and their goals to include, establishment of a formidable State Gender-Based Violence response team and Trust Fund Committee to support VAPPMC activities, the establishment of more Sexual Assault Response Centres (SARC) in the State.
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