Oga Lecturerviolence By Clarion O. Olusegun
In Lagos, as is the case in many states across Nigeria, women and girls are confronted with various forms of violence, including sexual abuse. Despite existing laws against such acts, survivors remain silent for fear of being ridiculed, judged, stigmatised and shamed by peers, relatives and society at large.
Girl-child advocate, Jane Ilu, was 11 years old the first time she was sexually abused.
Her abuser had threatened to cause her harm if she ever spoke about the incident and the threats had been enough to silence her. By the time Ilu was 14, she was abused again by the same man.
“I was sexually molested at ages 11 and 14. I was scared of what people would say. This had a serious emotional and psychological effect on me while growing up,” Ilu said.
Like Ilu, many girls in Nigeria who deal with sexual abuse are forced into silence as a result of fear of being harmed or judged.
Ilu disclosed that her silence enabled her abuser to carry out the act repeatedly.
Molested at 5, scarred for life
Ada’s (real name withheld) father fell ill and was hospitalised when she was five years old.
For three months, the illness persisted and her mother had to shuttle between home and the hospital. For the most part, Ada was left alone at home.
“During that period, a neighbour who was much older invited me to his house and, for the first time, introduced me to oral sex.
“My neighbor threatened me not to tell anyone, otherwise he would do something really drastic to me. I had to live with that intimidation, fear, and shame for years and couldn’t speak up”, she said.
Like Ada, many girls who have been sexually abused are intimidated into silence by perpetrators.
The prevailing culture of silence is a significant factor contributing to the psychological effects on victims and the alarming increase in cases of girl child abuse and molestation.
In many cases, survivors and their families, associates or relatives often choose silence, even when relevant authorities are willing to intervene.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), one in three women experience physical, sexual or intimate-partner violence, are victims of trafficking, or are subject to violent social norms.
Perpetual Oseni, a recent graduate of Political Science Education, witnessed a scenario of molestation and sexual abuse of her friend, Amina (real name withheld) and attested to the pain and shame of sexual abuse suffered by young girls and how her friend’s silence worsened the case.
Amina’s sister had traveled leaving her at home with her husband, who forcefully had sex with her on several occasions, and impregnated her.
Amina did not open up on the abuse she was facing for fear of being blamed. When she discovered she was pregnant, she attempted to end the pregnancy on her own. However, the process became complicated and Amina began to bleed excessively.
“All I noticed during those periods was her change in attitude. She was moody and didn’t open up to anyone until her sister returned and found out about her excessive bleeding complications,” Oseni said.
The excessive bleeding drew her sister’s attention to the pregnancy, and Amina was accused of seducing her abuser, a significant reason she had remained silent in the first place.
How the ‘Culture of Silence’ is affecting the implementation and potential of VAPP Act
Legal Practitioner Sunday Ojigbo, who heads the A. Olu Ogidan and Co Chambers, cited a recent rape case which, according to him, is still pending in court because the victim is not opening up.
“Now, the same perpetrator would go around again to commit another sexual offence”, said Ojibo.
He said Nigerians need to take full advantage of the VAPP Act, noting that many survivors ignore their rights and privileges despite having such a law in place.
He, therefore, advised Nigerians to always take adequate measures and report violent cases to the appropriate authorities for the sake of justice and to avoid continuous abuse.
Also, the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, Titilayo Vivour Adeniyi, disclosed that the Domestic and Sexual Violence Office has recorded over 10,000 sexual violence cases involving girls under Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu’s administration.
She asserted that violence does not stop unless it is checked, adding that “the agency and the jury can only assess cases we know about, but child victims and their families rarely come clean.”
“How then can the VAAP Act be effective?” she questioned.
The Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act of 2015 seeks to eliminate violence in private and public life, provide maximum protection and effective remedies for victims, and punishment of offenders and related matters.
Meanwhile, Judith Omereonye, a secondary school teacher at Abule-Egba, Lagos state, confirmed a case where one of her students spoke to her concerning her uncle’s constant abuse at home sexually.
She said: “All my efforts to take legal action proved abortive since the mother of the girl did not allow us to take necessary legal steps, claiming it was a family matter and would be taken as such and resolved accordingly, in their family way.”
Similarly, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, pointed out that victims’ relatives often come to drop charges and, if forced, run away from their immediate neighbourhood to avoid getting caught.
Recalling a case of a police officer who championed victims’ silence after collaborating with the perpetrators, he said that “a case that occurred last year where the police was the one who decided for them to settle the case and pay compensation. However, the police officer got punished by the State CID.”
Decrying the consequences of violence against girls and the culture of silence, Akinmayowa Shobowa, the Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at Hacey Health Initiative, a Non-Governmental Organisation, NGO, said mental problems on the part of survivors often lead to uncontrollable aftermath traumatic experiences.
“It usually becomes a lifetime burden”, he added.
He attributed the primary cause of violence against girls to the culture of silence.
“From research and data available, girls’ molestation and abuse, teenage pregnancy, and rape persist due to the embraced culture of silence. In Lagos, we currently have a situation where even when services are available, the victims and their families are, in most cases, given money to kill the cases. So how will the responsible authority know to take necessary actions?” he asked.
He further stressed the need to alleviate the menace through advocacy, empowerment, community awareness, protection of rights, and proper identification of the problems.
Empowering voices, demanding justice
Sharing her experience, Abimbola Williams, Deputy Superintendent of Police and the Head of Gender Desk, Lagos State Police Command, revealed that girl children are always the target of most abusers, which has been on the increase recently, noting that between January 2023 and January 2024, over 95 cases of child sexual abuse were reported.
She stated that research has shown that the number of victims has heightened because young girls are seen as vulnerable and then persuaded to stay silent to avoid stigmatization or risk dying.
“They tell the girls people will not believe you, especially when the perpetrator is in a position of power, that gives them more advantage over the little girls who they scare and intimidated into silence.”
“There was a case where the father allegedly slept with his three daughters, and the mother of the children begged us not to prosecute her husband, saying that if her husband goes to jail, nobody will take care of them.”
She assured that the police officers are implementing efforts to eradicate sexual violence against young girls in Lagos, and one of the ways is the establishment of a gender desk unit, which trains and houses officers to advocate against sexual violence and handle sexual-related cases.
This particular unit also embarks on empowerment programs and establishes partnerships with relevant stakeholders, thereby creating community awareness and sensitisation, especially at the grassroots level.
Healing from sexual abuse is a battle to overcome to live life at its best. The act has a way of leaving a lifelong scar that never heals, and it has the power to keep one bitter and angry for a long time.
Many believe that breaking the culture of silence is the best way to make the world a haven for all and allow justice to take its course—a clarion call from experts to eliminate violence against women and girls and campaign against the culture of silence.