Ekiti State Gender Based Violence Management Committee has restated
its commitment to the eradication of any form of violence against
women in the state
The committee made the declaration against the backdrop of the recent
mob attack on a middle aged woman (names withheld) in Oke Ayedun over
an allegation of engaging in witchcraft.
A statement made available to the media after the quarterly meeting
of the committee in Ado-Ekiti lamented that people resorted to
self-help and unruly behaviour to resolve disputes in spite of the
available legal and traditional avenues for dispute resolutions in the
state.
The Committee commended officers and men of the Ekiti State Police
Command for their swift response to the curtail the ugly situation and
apprehending some suspects involved in the mob attack, stressing that
the arrest and prosecution of some alleged rapists in the state is
also worthy of commendation.
It stressed that the culture of silence by women and other victims of
domestic and sexual violence was gradually being broken in the state
as a result of the increase in the level of awareness of the people on
issues relating gender based violence.
Soliciting the support of relevant stakeholders in the state in the
war against gender based violence, the statement disclosed that the
committee will soon extend its campaign programme to Secondary and
Tertiary institutions in the state.
The meeting which was presided over by the wife of the State
Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi who is the chairman of the committee, was
attended by key stakeholders drawn from the three arms of government
and Civil Society groups.
