VP Osinbajo Participates In Virtual Meeting Of National Human Right’s Commission On Scourge Of Rape & Sexual Gender Based Violence In Nigeria On 19/06/2020

• Share:

Loading Video - https://www.instagram.com/tv/CBoIfEsAFmG

---

Video Transcript

REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT THE NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION VIRTUAL MEETING ON THE SCOURGE OF RAPE, SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA ON THE 19TH OF JUNE, 2020

 

PROTOCOLS

We owe a debt of gratitude and commendation to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for taking the lead on these important conversations around rape and gender-based violence in Nigeria, and for organizing this week-long sensitization and advocacy.

We must also commend the Hon. Minister of Women Affairs, Paulen Talen for her historic presentation on the subject at the last Federal Executive Council meeting which led to the adoption of several important resolutions.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the International Community and several Civil Society Organizations, have also been at the forefront of finding transformative and reformative strategies for checking and controlling these heinous crimes.

While violence against women has always been a challenge in Nigeria, from what we have heard in the past few weeks, in particular, the COVID-19 lockdown has occasioned a steep increase in sexual and gender-based violence across the country. I am told that between March 23, 2020 – May 29, 2020, the FCT Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Response Team alone received an overwhelming 105 incidents; an average of 13 incidents per week, up from the usual 5 to 6 incidents per week, pre-COVID-19.

Also, a few days ago, the Inspector General of Police disclosed that the police had recorded about 717 rape incidents across the country between January and May 2020. And that 799 suspects had so far been arrested, 631 cases conclusively investigated and charged to court while 52 cases are still under investigation.

What these figures show is an escalation of an already disgraceful trend of violence against women and girls in the country.  The rapes and murders of Mrs. Queen Igbinevbo, a pregnant woman in her home in Edo State on May 20, 2020; Vera Uwaila Omozuwa, a 22-year old student of University of Benin, raped and killed in a church on May 27, 2020; and Barakat Bello, an 18-year old female student of Federal College of Animal Health and Production in Ibadan on June 1, 2020; amongst many others, should never have happened. And must not be allowed to continue.

This sense of outrage and anger that is felt by everyone has been expressed on various platforms. On June 11, State Governors, under the auspices of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), agreed to declare a state of emergency on rape and gender-based violence against women and children while renewing their commitment to ensuring that offenders face the full weight of the law.

Similarly, the President, in his June 12 address to Nigerians, reiterated government’s determination to fight GBV, through the instrumentality of the law and awareness creation.

It is also clear that we need to look beyond just legislation to fix the problem, but rather, interrogate the deeply dysfunctional morals and cultures, the systemic flaws in our institutions and the perverse social norms which enable sexual and gender-based violence not just to happen, but to go unchallenged.

Now, the starting point for conversations around abuse is that it can be prevented and that we can actually do something about it. While we must ensure that abusers are identified and punished, the greater part of our efforts should go into ensuring that we do all in our power to prevent these heinous acts from happening in the first place. How? By proactively identifying risk factors and intervening decisively to deal with them before the abuse itself happens.

This is why a comprehensive, multi-sectoral service is fundamental in the response to all survivors of rape and gender-based violence.

With the assistance of strategic partners like the European Union Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme implemented by the British Council and the Open Society Institute of West Africa, the Rule of Law Advisory Team within the Presidency has been supporting the establishment of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Response Teams across the country to ensure effective coordination of responses to cases of sexual and gender-based violence in Nigeria.

Over the years, the British Council has supported the establishment of eleven Sexual Assault Referral Centers (SARCs) across the country. I am told that efforts are underway to establish additional SARCs in more States including the FCT.

In addition, in November 2019, we were able to secure a toll-free emergency number and shortcode for the FCT- Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Response Team, with the generous support of Airtel.

The toll-free emergency number helps to ensure prompt access to justice for victims and the shortcode enables victims or eyewitnesses of all forms of abuse, to reach out to the relevant body and receive prompt information about what to do and how to access appropriate assistance.

I also understand that the Rule of Law Advisory Team and the National Human Rights Commission have commenced the process of conceptualizing the development of a Standard Operating Procedure and some targeted training for the Nigeria Police on the response to violence against women and girls.

Globally, police officers are usually the first actors who a victim of sexual and domestic violence is likely to encounter, due to their visibility and capability to provide rapid assistance.

As first responders, they play an important role in protecting victims not just from the commission of the crimes, but in ensuring that evidence that is collected at the scene of the crime is properly handled and processed. The entire experience of the survivor depends largely on how law enforcement handles individual cases.

I will continue to use the platform of the National Economic Council to encourage States to domesticate the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act of 2015 and the Child Rights Act of 2003. I strongly believe that we are at a point where everyone agrees that we must do something about the domestication of these legislations. I think after the meeting of governors under the auspices of Governors’ Forum, there is renewed determination to ensure domestication of the legislations.

Gender-based violence, rape and sexual assaults are a blemish on our collective humanity and dignity as a people and a Nation. We as the Federal Government of Nigeria will work with all actors to detect and punish the perpetrators of these sickening acts and work even harder to prevent their occurrence.

I thank everyone for participating actively, not just now, but through the years in identifying the various aspects of these problems and working hard to ensure that it is eradicated and we do not find repeats of it. What has occurred in the past few weeks have not only focused our attention, but we must stay focused on this issue and we must not let it fall through the cracks again.

Thank you very much, God bless you.