The Ogun State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Adijat Adeleye, has asserted that child abuse, violence and discrimination against Persons with Disabilities, PWDs, are not only social issues but also an economic pandemic that threatens the country’s developmental goals.
Adeleye, maintaining that perpetrators do not carry signs but instead, hide behind silence, harped on the need for all to take action in guaranteeing that every woman and child can get justice.
She pointed out that the 45 sections of the proposed DEI Commission Bill are instruments for transformation and protection that will guarantee the inclusion of under-represented groups in policymaking.
Adeleye said, “When a child is molested or a woman is silenced, a generation loses its voice. When survivors cannot access justice, we all become part of that silence.
The commissioner, on the other hand, stated that the ministry will continue to act as a bridge, working to ensure that no child loses their innocence, no woman loses her dignity, and no family is broken by indifferent behaviour.
In his remarks, Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Oludaisi Elemide, insisted that the bill is to protect the right and privileges of all sex, be it woman or man.
“Well, the popular acronym is GBV and it goes beyond that, It’s not only peculiar to female, we want to protect the right and privileges of all sex, be you a woman or a man.
“We have seen occasions or cases where men were raped by women that is also gender based violence. We are looking at equal opportunities for all sex to grow economically, to achieve their aim in life, so that some will not see themselves as being ridiculed or relegated,”; he said.
In her goodwill message, the sponsor of the bill, Deputy Speaker of the House, Ajayi Lateefat, stated that it passed the First Reading on the Floor of the House last Friday, and is proposed to monitor, remove negative stereotypes and offer guidance to institutions on how to include and treat everyone equally.
In her presentation, Ogun State Economic Transformation Project (OGSTEP) Project Coordinator, Mosunmola Owo-Odusi, called for legislative support in enacting and funding GBV, allocating funds for SARCs, women development centres, and technical school maintenance, as well as strengthening land-right protection through agency legislation and the FRILIA framework.
Meanwhile, the Founding Director of WARDC, Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, noted that the event was apt and coming at a time where there is a high prevalence of gender based violence in the state.
