Government at all levels have been urged to do more in terms of Policies, Programmes and advocacy to ensure that Gender Based Violence is curbed to the barest minimum.
Women Rights Activist and Legal Practitioner, Funmi Falana, mad this call while speaking with TVC News Breakfast on Friday Morning.
She added that progress has been made in the fight against Sexual and Gender Based Violence across the Country but more still needs to be done when what is being done in Nigeria is compared to Other Societies.
She said the phenomenon of Sexual and Gender Based Violence is still quite rampant in the Society despite efforts by all tiers of Government and Non-Governmental organisations in the Country.
She said the issue of Discrimination, psychological abuse, mental torture and all Other forms of abuse are still Gender based violence in her opinion.
She however rated the Country low on issues of discrimination against Women, the girl Child.
For her part, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, the head of the Lagos State Office Against Physical and Gender Violence, said though the road ahead is still long but the issue require patience and a gradual breaking out of the shackles of oppression against women is being seen in the State and across the Country.
She added that the issues around Gender and Sexual Based Violence have always been there but what we currently see is more reportage which has led to more awareness and action being taken at all levels.
She added that it will take time for things like these to permeate through especially for a Society like Nigeria.
She added that the heightened awareness, show of Political will and Societal changes, the nation is well on the way to curbing if not totally eradicate the issue of Gender Based Violence against Women.
Going Further, Mrs Falana said the curbing or total eradication of violence against Women in the country face some significant hurdles that must be over come before Laws can be used against perpetrators.
She said such hurdles include the societal orientation, the Culture of Silence and the Economic Dependency of victims on perpetrators of violence which she said often get reported as much as 20 times daily on average.
She also called for victims to speak out so that perpetrators can be penalised for their crimes adding that the Child Rights Act and Prohibition of Violence Against Peoples Act that has been domesticated by over 30 States.
