Nigerian Men Stands Against Rape, Calls For Justice

 

Nigerian men has protected over the recent rape cases in the country in Lagos.

The march which was organised by  partnership for Justice in collaboration with Mirabel Centre and network of men against rape.

The walk kicked off from the premises of the Lagos Television, LTV 8 at exactly 7.25 am was rounded up at the Lagos State Government Secretariat, Alausa.

The protesters were at Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s office in Ikeja to pledge their support for laws that will end violence against the female folks.

The men who came out in their numbers under the auspices of “Men Against Rape” were carrying placards inscribed with different messages including “Real Men, Don’t Rape”. “I stand against Rape”. “Men against Rape”. “No means No”. “2017, it was Obiamaka, 2018, it was Ochanya, Uwa 2020, who’s next?”.

“Boys will be held accountable”. “Rape is not Sex”. “I am a Real Man”. “I don’t condone Rape or Sexual harassment. I am a real Man”. “I’m creating a safe society for Women and Girls”. “My strength is not for hurting”. “Men can stop Rape”. “Consent is simple. If it’s not Yes, it’s No”.

“Real men hold each other accountable. Are you that guy?” “Don’t tell your Daughters not to go out, tell your Sons to behave properly”. “Real Men zip up”. “We cannot work against our daughters and we have agreed that real men don’t rape”. “We must continue to zip up”. “A real man sees no value in seeing his daughter die in pain”.

 

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Chico Aligwekwe said that “Every incident of rape questions our definition of masculinity and threatens the very essence of our humanity as men. So, the rape of one woman or girl should give every man something to worry about. It is a bereavement that we should all mourn collectively because of what truly dies in the woman.

“The silence of good men may be a convenient stand, but it empowers the rapist, condemns and dehumanises the victims and further deepens a rape culture. So, we call on every good man in this country to rise up and speak out against rape. We call on every man, anywhere in this country, to take responsibility for creating a society that is safe for all women and girls.”

Receiving the protesters, the governor’s wife, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, said that: “It is laudable to see men come out to send strong message against rape and ending sexual and gender-based violence in Lagos State. I am very happy that we are able to do this, and I hope this will not be the last time we are going to see men coming out like this.

“…A lot is required to defeat this monster. We are prepared to do what it takes to end rape and all form of sexual and gender-based violence against women and children in our dear state and, by extension, in Nigeria,”.

She commended the men for coming out to campaign against rape and other gender-based violence.

She said: “We thank God that your intentions have moved from intentions to goal-oriented actions”.

“Rape is a condemnable act and if we dream of having A Greater Lagos, we must collectively and openly condemn it. We must not allow rape to become a culture in Lagos or Nigeria or in any part of the world”, she added.

Also, the coordinator, of the Mirable Centre, Mrs Itoro Eze-Anaba, urged Nigerians especially men to stand against rape. She said: “We all need to stand up and get involved in the campaign. More importantly, we are asking men to stand up and do something. It is not about women, it is about the community, the society and men have a role to play.

“There is always the right time to do something. Everybody is talking about what has been going on in the country. Young girls were raped to death. There is public outrage and therefore, there is no better time than now.

“It is not about telling the government to do this and that, it is about asking ourselves, what we can do, what have we done and what are we going to do? That is what the campaign is all about. It is about individuality, we all have a responsibility to end violence against women and men have a greater responsibility because the majorities as the perpetrators are men and they have friends and they men talk to men.

“It is obvious that we have an untapped resource among men that are committed, concerned about violence against women. There is a need to call for more of them to come together with an action plan that will be implemented in the communities with men taking the lead”.