The Lagos State Government on Tuesday said silence of men molested by their wives has aided increase in sexual and gender based violence in the state.
The Commissioner for Women and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Lola Akande, raised concerns on men silence at a press briefing in Alausa, Ikeja on ‘Ewuro project’, a drama to orientate residents of Lagos on negative impact of domestic violence.
Akande lamented that men molested by their wives were not speaking out and it often left with psychological impact that affects their marriage, adding that since she assumed office, there have just one report of such cases.
On reason for their silence, the commissioner said “Men have a lot of ego and they want to often be seen as the head of the family. So they try to remain silent. And that was why we have encouraged them to speak out whenever they are molested by their spouse.”
She noted that the State Government was not only protecting women, saying men would suffering same fate would also be protected.
“Any men molested by his wife would also be protected by the government. But the reason it looked as if the government often speak about women was that they are the most affected.” She said.
Akande said that one in every four women experience physical, sexual or emotional abuse by their husband.
“From the findings on survey conducted in Lagos State in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), it was observed that there is high prevalence of violence against children.
“Approximately, six out of every children experience some form of violence while half of all children experience physical violence while one in four girls and one in 10 boys experience sexual violence in the country,” she added.
On the Ewuro project, the commissioner said that it was a strategy to “vigorously eliminate all forms of discrimination against women which we have been doing using various platforms.
