The House Committee Chairman on Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Mrs. Mojisoluwa Alli-Macaulay, has expressed her desire to pursue the improvement of women’s welfare.
She spoke on the heels of a law passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly to tackle rising issues of rape and to ensure that offenders of the sexual related offence are penalised.
Alli-Macaulay explained that the law is designed to protect victims of sexual and gender violence and ensure they have access to medical, legal and counselling assistance.
“It will serve as a record for survivors as well. I have a strong desire to see things get better for women in our society, to see them challenge the status quo, to see them rise above the odds, to see them pursue their dreams, to join hands in creating an enabling environment for them to thrive and be treated equally.
“During the passage of the Domestic Violence Agency & Sexual Violence Bill, I expressed myself as a lawmaker who understands how much these terrible acts against women and men likewise have increased in our society and are destroying our children. UNICEF reported in 2015 that one in four girls and one in 10 boys in Nigeria had experienced sexual violence before the age of 18.
“A recent report from the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice/Chairman Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT), Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), has revealed that according to data, 4,302 children have been assaulted in the state from May 2019 to August this year; and of this number, 2,432 are under the age of nine.
“The statistics are alarming I must say and it’s time to act. I am glad that the Bill has been passed into law and this also gives the Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) more backing to do their work. I hope other states will do the same,” Alli-Macaulay said.
