Child abuse, domestic violence cases rise in Lagos courts

THE 10 family courts in Lagos State received  three cases of sexual offences and domestic violence against children daily, the Chief Judge, Justice Funmilayo Atilade, said yesterday. She said with over 1,000 cases of abuse, rape and molestation filed every year, there was still much to be done in effectively enforcing the child rights’ law. The chief judge spoke yesterday at the Stakeholders Summit on Child Rights/Domestic Violence laws as part of the new legal year activities. At the event, the Deputy Governor Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire called for a consolidation of laws relating to children into one legislation for easy implementation as the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, said socio-economic and cultural factors work against effective enforcement of the laws on women and children. Justice Atilade decried the rise in incidents of domestic violence, rape and other sexual offences. “Recent happenings make it obvious that violence and tyranny are shifting to the girl-child. The abduction of the Chibok girls is a case in point. The increase is phenomenal, frightening, offensive and disturbing,” she said. The chief judge called for a reassessment of the prosecution of cases involving child abuse and domestic violence. Mrs. Orelope-Adefulire urged victims of violence to speak up and seek help before it was too late. Besides, she called for a change in the cultural and religious perception of women and children as weak. The deputy governor urged the Federal Government to ensure the release of the abducted Chibok school girls. “The Federal Government has not done much to the best of my knowledge. We want them to be brought back alive now. “Nigeria has the resources; so everything must be done to bring them back,” the chief judge said. Ipaye recalled a case where a woman died from domestic violence and the husband was arrested. He was about to be charged with murder, but relatives pleaded with the ministry to drop the case for the children’s sake. “The family members were begging that the father of the children should not be sent to jail because there would be no one to provide for them,” Ipaye said. According to him, when no one is willing to come up and testify, conviction becomes difficult. “We cannot stop impunity if offenders are not punished,” Ipaye added.