Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Monday recommended minimum sentence of 25 years for rapists, saying rape should not be met with light sentencing.
Ambode made the recommendation during a symbolic walk against domestic and sexual violence at Alausa.
โIt is highly recommended. We need new laws which will respond adequately to the nature and occurrences of this era.
โDomestic violence is a crime and should be treated as such. The Protection against Domestic Violence Law, 2007 should, therefore, be amended accordingly,โ he said.
Ambode urged the Nigeria Police Force, which was usually the first point of call, to strive to be more professional and ensure proper investigation of reported cases by grooming specialist officers in that regard.
โAs the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the next best time is now.
โWe firmly believe that the actions we take today will be the seeds sown for a brighter future for our women and indeed, our children.
โWe believe our state can continue to pioneer in this agenda and become a benchmark not just in Nigeria, but globally,โ he said.
The governor said that a lot of progress had been made in protecting the rights of women and the girl-child, and against โoppression of the female genderโโ, there was still so much to be done.
โWe need to ask ourselves the hard question: for this course we honour today, how can we truly ensure we are walking the talk?
โIn our state, there has been a significant increase in formal and informal reporting of domestic and sexual violence cases, but contrary to what it appears to be, this menace is not a recent development.
โThese occurrences have been around for years, but they were seen as norms because nobody spoke out against them, and such acts were overlooked based on misguided definitions of gender roles.
โWhat we are tackling today is an almost innate culture which relegates women to the background, and forces them to suffer in silence.
โIn Lagos, we are waging a war against this culture and we will do everything within our power to transform ours to a culture of equality, respect and dignity for all.
โIt is a journey of radical transformation, and our government is wholly committed to seeing it through,โ he said.
Ambode said that the stateโs Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team had executed various interventions and initiatives as regards fighting sexual and gender-based violence.
โWe are not just reactive in helping survivors, but also taking aggressive steps to prevent future occurrences.
โOur aim is to build a system of trust and accountability, where survivors are encouraged to speak out and potential perpetrators are discouraged to commit future acts,โ he said.
On Land Use charge, the governor noted that the state government was still open to dialogue.
โI really mean it when I say I want dialogue. By the end of the week, we should be able to come out with something meaningful to ameliorate the issues being raised,โ he said.
Earlier, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Imohinmi Edgal, described the walk as significant, saying it would heighten peopleโs consciousness to always be at alert and report cases of domestic and sexual abuse.
Some participants in the walk carried placards with various inscriptions, including โDomestic Violence is Not a Family Matter, Report Itโ, โWomen Empowerment, and Gender Parity,that are what I stand forโ and โLagos State says no to domestic violenceโ.
