The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) have urged governments at all levels to protect girls and women against sexual abuse and domestic violence.
They called at a rally organized to mark the year 2023 International Human Rights Day with the theme: “Freedom, Equity, and Justice for all,” held on Saturday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
Addressing journalists at the rally, the Ogun State coordinator of NHRC, Olayinka Odibe, lamented inadequate sexual assault referral centres where victims could lodge their complaints.
She lamented the high rate of domestic violence and sexual assault on girls, saying, “All human beings are born equal in rights and in all things; no human being has control over the lives of other people.”
“Government must be more proactive on the issue of domestic violence. Many women are staying in abused marriages because they have nowhere else to go due to our culture, where people say women are not allowed to separate from their husbands.
“Domestic violence is causing a lot of trouble; you can see recently how spouses are killing themselves.
“At the CSOs meeting we had recently, we concluded that the government must build shelters for victims of domestic violence.
“Also, the sexual assault referral centre that we have in Ogun State is just one; it is not adequate to take care of the population of violated people in Ogun State,” Odibe said.
Also speaking, the National Vice President of CDHR, Comrade Yinka Folarin, said Nigeria must imbibe a culture of promotion and respect for human rights.
“We still have a long way to go regarding human rights recognition and protection in Nigeria. We need always to promote the ideals of human rights.
“We are hopeful that through this reminder, our nation will consider it necessary to adopt the culture of human rights in all we do so that we have a safe and peaceful society,” Folarin said.