Hundreds of men and women marched on Alausa, the Lagos State seat of power to protest against rising incidence of rape and child abuse, on Tuesday .
Titled: “A walk to create awareness on rape in Lagos State,” the protesters gathered under the bridge near Ikeja bus stop, from where they marched to the office of the state Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.
The event was organised by a civil society group, Partnership for Justice with the support of the Justice for All (J4A) project of the Department for International Development (DFID) as part of the United Nation’s 16 days of activism on violence against women.
They collaborated with the Lagos State Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Response Team, Lagos State Gender Advocacy Team, Lagos Ministry of Justice, Lagos Office of the Public Defender, Ministry of Youth, Sport and Social Development and Ministry of Health, among others.
The event was also in celebration of the first anniversary of the Mirabel Centre, located within the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), where rape victims receive free treatment and counseling.
They bore placards, some of which read: “Rape is real, speak out now!” “Be the change. Help stop rape!” “A house where a woman is not safe is not a home.” “Make violence unacceptable in your life!” “Don’t wait to be a victim. Stop rape now!”
They sang: “If you rape, you will rot in jail. Alausa – No rape! I was just playing with her – No rape!
The deputy governor, represented by her special adviser, Mrs. Risikat Akiode, announced dedicated helplines for child abuse (08085753932, 08102678442) and domestic violence (08057542266, 08102678443).
She said the state would not tolerate any report of child abuse or domestic violence, while urging victims or anyone threatened to call the helplines without delay.
“Once the case is brought to our attention, we deal with it immediately. The lines are functioning,” she said.
The Executive Director, Partnership for Justice, Mrs. Itoro Eze-Anaba, said no fewer than 450 victims of rape have been at the Mirabel Centre for treatment since it was set up a year ago.
Among the victims, she said, were a 70-year-old woman, and 18-month-old child and a 14-year-old boy.
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