Stakeholders Seek Stronger Response to Sexual Violence
Stakeholders have called for stronger collaboration, improved investigations and trauma-informed support to address sexual violence in Ogun.
The call was made at a stakeholders dialogue on sexual based violence organised by Headfort Foundation for Justice.
The theme was “Strengthening Laws, Policies and Institutional Coordination to Improve Justice Delivery in Sexual Violence Cases.”
At the end of the dialogue, the following recommendations were made:
Hon. Justice Odubanjo highlighted virtual court proceedings and trained intermediaries to support vulnerable witnesses.
Participants said that the challenge was not absence of laws, but implementation gaps, capacity constraints and limited public awareness.
They noted the availability of a sexual offenders’ register at the High Court and urged review of laws for balance and effectiveness.
A survivor, (names withheld) shared her experience of rape and early pregnancy, underscoring long-term trauma faced by victims.
SP Bunmi Asogbon said many cases were unreported due to compromised medical evidence, family discouragement and fear of stigma.
She said improved investigations would strengthen convictions and reduce reliance on confessional statements.
The Ministry of Women Affairs said Sexual Assault Referral Centres had increased from one to four across Ogun since 2014.
The ministry added that average turnaround time for DPP advice had reduced to two months.
Arogi Trauma Care Foundation stressed empathy and professional trauma-informed care in handling survivors.
Representatives of International Federation of Women Lawyers and Nigerian Bar Association said sexual violence required collective responsibility.
They noted many perpetrators were known to victims and urged focus on root causes.
Earlier, in her message, the Chief Judge of Ogun, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, called for survivor-centred jurisprudence led by the judiciary.
She cited Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution and the Ogun Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law 2017 as strong legal frameworks.
Dipeolu said implementation gaps, adversarial evidential culture and institutional silos hindered justice delivery.
She advocated stricter management of cross-examination, use of video links and trained intermediaries.
The Chief Judge urged coordinated protocols linking police, prosecutors, medical professionals and courts.
Also, Mrs Oluyemi Orija, Executive Director of the foundation, said it had provided free legal aid since 2019.
She said over 1,000 inmates had received free legal support, while outreach programmes educated communities on human rights.
Orija said the foundation’s “My Rights, My Freedom” project, launched in 2024, sensitised girls aged 10 to 23 on reporting procedures.
She said the initiative addressed low prosecution and conviction rates despite high reporting of cases.
Newsmen reports that participants at the dialogue recommended stronger stakeholder coordination, effective law implementation and sustained victim support.
