Gender Violence: Group urges govt to equip police

Executive Coordinator, Bimbo Odukoya Foundation (BOF), Mrs Ronke Oyelakin, has urged the Lagos State government to adequately equip the police with necessary facilities needed to address cases of sexual and domestic abuse.

She spoke in Lagos during a programme to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the late Pastor Bimbo Odukoya who died in the ill-fated Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145 crash on December 10, 2005.

“The law enforcement agents lack the needed facilities to prosecute cases of abuse. The FSUs (Family Support Units) charged with treating cases of sexual assault in police stations are ill-equipped. They don’t have vehicles to move around.

“For instance, a police officer in Area D in Mushin asked the mother of a survivor to pay N10,000 before they could go and arrest a suspect. Such acts would discourage survivors from speaking up when abused,” she said.

Decrying the alarming rate of gender abuse, she called on all stakeholders to actively collaborate to fight it headlong.

Olumide Okeowo, a Clinical Psychologist and Consultant to the BOF stressed the need to rehabilitate victims and ensure their psychological wellness.

While lauding the Bimbo Odukoya Foundation, he noted that boys also suffer sexual molestation. He, therefore, stressed the importance of continuous awareness of gender violence.