Stakeholders have called for stronger collaboration, improved investigations, and trauma-informed support to address sexual violence in Ogun State.
The call was made during a stakeholders’ dialogue on sexual and gender-based violence organised by the Headfort Foundation for Justice with the theme, “Strengthening Laws, Policies, and Institutional Coordination to Improve Justice Delivery in Sexual Violence Cases.”
Participants emphasised that the major challenge was not the absence of laws but gaps in implementation, capacity constraints, and limited public awareness. They acknowledged the existence of a sexual offenders’ register at the High Court and called for periodic review of relevant laws to ensure balance and effectiveness.
In her keynote message, the chief judge of Ogun State, Mosunmola Dipeolu, advocated survivor-centered jurisprudence and stronger judicial safeguards. She referenced Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution and the Ogun Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law 2017 as robust legal frameworks but noted that implementation gaps, adversarial evidential practices, and institutional silos continue to hinder justice delivery.
Dipeolu recommended “stricter management of cross-examination, use of virtual court proceedings and video links, as well as trained intermediaries to support vulnerable witnesses.”
She also urged coordinated protocols linking police, prosecutors, medical professionals, and the courts.
Similarly, Hon. Justice Odubanjo highlighted the importance of virtual proceedings and trained intermediaries in protecting vulnerable victims during trial.
A survivor, whose name was withheld, shared her experience of rape and early pregnancy, underscoring the long-term trauma faced by victims of sexual violence.
SP Bumi Asogbon attributed underreporting of cases to compromised medical evidence, family discouragement, and fear of stigma. She stressed that improved investigations would strengthen convictions and reduce reliance on confessional statements.
The Ogun State Ministry of Women Affairs disclosed that Sexual Assault Referral Centres had increased from one to four across the state since 2014, adding that the average turnaround time for advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had reduced to two months.
The Arogi Trauma Care Foundation emphasised the need for empathy and professional trauma-informed care in handling survivors, while representatives of the International Federation of Women Lawyers and the Nigerian Bar Association stressed that addressing sexual violence requires collective responsibility. They noted that many perpetrators are known to victims and urged stakeholders to tackle root causes.
In her remarks, the executive director of the Headfort Foundation for Justice, Oluyemi Orija, said the organisation has provided free legal aid since 2019, supporting over 1,000 inmates and conducting community outreach programmes on human rights awareness.
Orija added that the foundation’s “My Rights, My Freedom” project, launched in 2024, sensitises girls aged 10 to 23 on reporting procedures and legal protections, addressing low prosecution and conviction rates despite high reporting of cases.
Participants at the dialogue concluded by recommending stronger stakeholder coordination, effective implementation of existing laws, and sustained victim support mechanisms to improve justice delivery in sexual violence cases across Ogun State.