Report Domestic Violence cases, NGO advises victims

 By Ozioma L. Ebirim

 

                                      (photo credit: 123RF)

Domestic Violence victims have been urged to report cases of Gender Based Violence to the police. An innovative non-governmental organisation, Women’s Rights and Health Project (WRAHP) made the call recently at a media briefing to officially launch the six thousand-man gender based violence reporting and documentation campaign in Ejigbo and Igando-Ikotun Local Council Development Areas. 

    (Video source: youtube)

The project, an integral part of an on-going 15 months project had the aim of strengthening reporting and documentation of gender based violence by the police in LCDAs.

The objectives of the project supported by the Department for International Development (DFID)/British Council through the Justice for All was to achieve, strengthened capacity of police officers across the 3 Divisional Police Stations in Ejigbo and Igando-Ikotun LCDAs for effective reporting and documentation of Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases, strengthened community structures and increase the willingness of citizens to report GBV cases to the police in the two LCDAs; strengthened capacity of the media to report GBV incidences and raise awareness of GBV including thorough effective reporting and increased editorial coverage of the issues.

WRAHP reports that about 36 police officers from 6 Divisional Police Stations, sixty men from social structures and 54 teachers from 30 educational institutions within Ejigbo and Igando-ikotun LCDAs have benefitted from the project. Also, more than 17,000 copies of the WRAHP simplified Protection against Domestic Violence Law 2007 of Lagos State had been distributed as well as sensitization of more than 24,000 community beneficiaries through peer-to-peer and other communication channels.

THE WAY FORWARD

According to the Executive Director of WRAHP, Mrs. Bose Ironsi, “The project is expected to impact the relationship between the police, community, women and girls. They will be empowered to identify and report GBV cases against women. The anticipated impact of this intervention is that all women and community members should feel more secure to report their cases to the police and to work with other police stations on Violence against Women (VAW) in Lagos”, the vision of promoting sound health, equal rights and development for women, young girls and communities. The organisation has been at the forefront of championing the cause of domestic violence victims, human rights abuse, providing soft loans to widows and other helpless individuals in the society and basically improving the lot of the down-trodden as the case may be.

                                                           (photo credit: 123RF)
Domestic Violence has gained ground in the Nigerian society. For some, it has come to stay while others are indifferent to it. WRAHP is poised to creating the needed awareness to curb the scourge of domestic violence.

Women and girls in Nigeria continue to suffer domestic violence and are at times killed by the very perpetrators who are expected to love and cherish them under the guise of culture and religion. 

All hands must be on deck to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice. One doesn’t need to wait until it happens to a relative before taking the bull by the horn to make a report. Learn to be your brother’s keeper. You may be saving a life today by reporting a domestic violence to the police station nearest to you.

                                                            (photo credit: 123RF)