Text of the Address by
His Excellency
Dr. Kayode Fayemi, CON
Governor, Ekiti State, Nigeria
on the occasion of the
SIGNING OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN (COMPULSORY TREATMENT AND CARE) LAW 2020
Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State
Friday, June 5, 2020
1. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to welcome you all to this auspicious occasion of the signing of a new bill into law in our dear State. I am delighted to perform this very important constitutional duty that confirms the functionality of the law passed by respected lawmakers.
2. Let me first congratulate our lawmakers in this 6th Assembly on their first anniversary in office. It has been a rancour-free assembly and you have been working in the same spirit of development. I specially felicitate with the leadership of the Assembly under the Right Honourable Speaker, Funminiyi Afuye. The mood in the assembly has always been a direct reflection of the mood of the whole State under this administration. This is something of joy that we should all be proud of.
3. The effectiveness and efficiency of our lawmakers excites me. What they have done in their first year in office is only possible where there is peace and harmony among the legislators. The unity in the Assembly has further shown the lawmakers’ readiness, dedication and commitment to serve Ekiti-kete. The partnership with other arms of government, especially the executive branch is worthy of adulation and exaltation.
4. Today, I’m proud to sign a law that affirms one of the important policies of my administration. That is our policy of zero tolerance of all forms of sexual violence against women and children. The ‘Compulsory Treatment and Care for Child Victims of Sexual Violence Bill, 2020’ reaffirms our commitment not only to prompt medical care for child victims of sexual violence but also supports our resolve to achieve the effective prosecution of sex offenders.
5. It is fitting that the House of Assembly passed this legislation this week. Over the past few days, our country has witnessed acts of extreme violence perpetrated against women and children. In our state, the story is not different. Not a day passes without reported cases of rape and child defilement.
6. Confronted with this tragic situation, the women in our State are demanding that we should have a ‘State of Emergency’, which will enable us to deal more effectively with the scourge. While I appreciate the basis for this demand, it is my view that there is a need for a national consensus on the issue. I will be engaging the Nigeria Governors’ Forum at our next meeting to determine what emergency measures can be put in place to address this crisis more effectively and on a national basis. Meanwhile, I will urge the House of Assembly to engage civil society and the private sector with a view to identifying urgent interventions in ending violence against women and girls that can be implemented without delay.
7. During my first tenure and since my return, my administration enacted several laws and has undertaken a number of programmes to enable effective action against sexual violence. We reviewed our legislations, practices and customs and abolished those that discriminate against women. Laws, policies and programmes that explicitly prohibit and punish sexual violence were put into place. We have also ensured an improvement in the quality and accessibility of services so that women and children have prompt access to support services regardless of their location, age or finance.
8. Specifically, we established a Register of Sex Offenders of all persons convicted of acts of sexual violence and have adopted a policy of publicly naming and shaming convicted sex offenders. We have enacted a very progressive Gender Based Violence ( GBV) Law. We revived and strengthened the Gender Based Violence Management Committee to oversee the implementation of the GBV Law.
9. In many respects, however, it is now obvious that we need to do more to confront the severity of the challenges we face. Our response must be efficient and proactive to end a culture of impunity and foster a culture of justice and deterrent. It is against this background that I now wish to enumerate some of the additional measures we will be taking.
10. First, by virtue of the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Child Victims of Sexual Violence Law, 2020’ a child victim of sexual violence in this State will have rapid access to a medical facility that can administer emergency medical care, including treatment to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases and counseling.
11. We are going to overhaul and modernize our register of sex offenders to ensure it is effective in combating sexual violence. I have directed the Ministry of Justice to consider additional measures to make the register permanently accessible to the public.
12. I have also directed the Ministry of Justice to review existing laws with a view to proposing to the House of Assembly necessary legislative changes to ensure that the offences of rape and child defilement attract harsher sentences.
13. The Ministry of Justice is further directed to reaffirm state policy of opposing bail and rejecting plea bargain proposals from perpetrators of rape and child defilement. The State Government’s policy of ensuring that convicted sex offenders do not benefit from my power of prerogative of mercy remain in force.
14. We will strengthen the Gender Based Violence Management Committee to continue to provide rapid and comprehensive responses to all forms of violence against women and children. In particular, the GBV Management Committee will be empowered to improve collection and analysis of data to monitor our GBV programmes. A state wide sexual violence prevalence study will be commissioned in the general population to enable us have reliable date on the nature of the problem.
15. Given the urgency of the situation, we have developed an Emergency Action Plan, which will be implemented over the next six months. The Gender Based Management Committee located in the office of the Wife of the Governor with representations from government and civil society organizations will drive this emergency action plan.
16. As part of our emergency response and with a view to embarking on preventive measures, we are going to launch a mass media campaign that will target communities, public spaces, workplaces, campuses and schools across our 16 Local Government Areas.
17. An important part of our response is to strengthen our criminal justice system. We are reviewing our laws on sexual violence to prioritize the needs and interests of survivors, while at the same time ensuring that perpetrators are swiftly prosecuted.
18. The Ministry of Justice is already working on measures to clear the backlog of rape and child defilement cases stalled because of the closure of courts during the COVID 19 period. We are determined to improve conviction rates and provide comprehensive and appropriate support services to ensure survivors of sexual offences are not subject to further trauma.
19. To achieve this in concrete terms, we need to engage with the Judiciary on the role that it can play in supporting the State’s efforts to end sexual violence. Sex offenders must know that they will be caught and that they will face the consequences of their actions.
20. Our response has not been limited to law and justice. The economic situation of our women is also an important factor in dealing with gender-based violence. The twin issues of poverty and unemployment are key factors in this regard. Government will continue to prioritize women when it comes to access to employment, training opportunities and small business opportunities. We will support women engaging in small business and informal sector activity, and we call on established business to be part of this effort.
21. This immediate response that is needed to turn the tide against sexual violence will need to be matched by an urgent allocation of resources. We will make substantial additional funding available for these interventions to make an immediate and lasting difference.
22. Reversing this scourge of sexual violence cannot be the sole responsibility of government. For an effective response different sectors in society must work together. In particular, it may now be necessary for us all to examine our attitude to sexual violence. It is necessary to ask ourselves whether the increase in cases of rape and child defilement is because large parts of our society are indifferent or tolerate it or maybe we think it is the women’s problem. We have to ask ourselves whether the silence of large parts of civil society is facilitating a culture in which it is really hard for victims of Sexual Violence to be heard, helped or supported. Irrespective of what the answer to this question is, it is high time we all stood up against sexual violence.
23. I want to thank the House of Assembly for its prompt passage of this law. I understand that Ekiti State has recorded another first by this law. I look forward to the cooperation of medical facilities in the State, both government and private and the Nigeria Police whose roles are crucial in the implementation of this law.
24. Once again, congratulations on your first anniversary and thank you for a job well done.
25. Alale Ekiti a gbe a o!
*Dr. Kayode Fayemi, CON*
Governor
