Wives of governors have called for joint action on violence against women and children in Nigeria.
This was contained in a statement signed on Tuesday by the wife of chairman, Nigerian Governors Forum, Bisi Fayemi; chair, Northern Governors Wives Forum, Amina Abubakar; and chair, Southern Governors Wives Forum, Betsy Obaseki.
“We have observed with dismay, the intense levels of violence against women and children in the country. As mothers, we empathize with survivors of these heinous acts and urge them to be courageous in speaking up, no matter how long it takes. We salute them.
“We lend our voices to that of our First Lady, HE Dr Aisha Buhari, who recently called for action to be taken on the increasing rate at which women and children are being sexually abused in Nigeria. On a daily basis, we are inundated with cases of defilement (of even babies of six months old), rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment and murders of women and children,” the statement said.
They called on the Inspector General of Police to “direct the Nigerian Police to treat rape and defilement cases with the speed and seriousness such cases deserve”.
They also called the Attorney General of the Federation and State Attorney Generals to fast track cases of rape and defilement.
The governors’ wives appealed to the “National Assembly, Executive Governors and State Houses of Assembly to facilitate the passage of laws to protect women and children from violence and abuse.”
They also pleaded with political, religious and community leaders to speak up against the abuse of women and children.
Lastly, they urged the general public to address “this issue by supporting victims to get justice and breaking the culture of silence and stigma which prevents victims from coming forward”.
