Wives of governors in the 36 states have joined the call for the declaration of state of emergency on sexual and gender based violence in the country.
In a communique by the First Lady of Ekiti State, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi, after a virtual meeting, the governors’ wives expressed the concern over the recent spike in cases of violence against women, especially rape which become rampant during the lockdown necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
They lamented that very few cases of sexual violence in Nigeria ended up in the convictions of culprits even as they resolved to be more involved in fighting to ensure that justice is done for survivors of sexual violence.
According to them, the unsavoury development informed the virtual meeting of the First Ladies to appraise the present situation and evolve ways to check the alarming rate of sexual violence against women and girls.
The First Ladies at the Webinar of their meeting agreed to amplify the advocacy on sexual and gender based violence.