N’Assembly will partner govs to defeat rape, GBV, says Bamidele
Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has declared the intention of the National Assembly to partner state governors to rid the country of rape and Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Bamidele, who represents Ekiti Central Senatorial District, said the federal lawmakers were resolute to make laws that would complement the strides being taken by stakeholders to stop persons with unbridled libidos from perpetrating acts of defilement, rape and other sexual abuses.
The lawmaker spoke in a statement made available to journalists in AdoEkiti, on Thursday, being a speech he delivered at an anti-GVB programme entitled; ‘COVID–19: Exploring Innovative Routes To Tackling Escalation of Sexual And GenderBased Violence In A Pandemic.’
Bamidele expressed regret that the global COVID-19 pandemic had brought an upsurge in sexual abuse related cases in Nigeria, describing the scenario as dangerous to the image of the country and perception about Nigerians.
He said the fact that the barbaric act had been difficult to tame made it expedient for state and federal legislatures to rev the pedal of legislative duties by enacting laws that could impose stringent sanctions on defaulters.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that sexual and gender-based violence has reached its highest crescendo and of an unimaginable proportion in recent times.
The situation has been further exacerbated by the COVID–19 pandemic in Nigeria and across the globe.
“As such, there is a need for us as a nation to come together, brainstorm and fashion out best ways to tackle this menace, which has eaten deep into the fabric of our society.
“There must be concerted efforts of each and everyone of us to stem the tide of this ugly phenomenon before it destroys our societal moral rectitude and cultural pride that we are known for as a nation.
We must strive to uphold our cultural norms and system to ensure that our dignity and fundamental core values as human beings are preserved at all cost.”
He said further: “The initiative behind this project is quite commendable, as it is aimed at strengthening the fight against sexual and gender-based violence, through consideration of innovative and creative ideas to tackle the escalation of this ugly trend.
“In the past, various measures had been put in place, in terms of legislations and enlightenment programmes by relevant agencies of government and NGOs to curb the menace.
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However, these have not achieved the desired result, as the situation keeps increasing by the day, despite the various intervention measures implemented over the years.
“As a result, there is a need for us to proffer measures that are effective and sustainable in the light of the peculiar circumstances of our country generally, especially in pandemic or sundry situations.”
Bamidele assured that the Ninth Senate, under the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, is poised towards making laws and amending existing legislations that would fortify the fight against sexual and gender-based violence in conformity with global best practices.
“In line with the foregoing, your views, suggestions and opinions are germane towards the deployment of technological methods for effective intervention in this area.
