Check indecent dressing to reduce violence against women – Lagos Speaker Obasa

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, has admonished the female folks on the dangers that can be encountered in wearing indecent dresses in the society.

Obasa warned that ladies should save themselves unnecessary violence that can be derived from indulgence in immoral dressing.

Obasa spoke while declaring open the Fifth International Conference on Women and Children at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos.

He also noted that the society should be beyond reproach in its campaign against women molestation, saying that some reported cases on this menace have turned out to be untrue.

“We should guard against false propaganda as some reported cases of violence against girls and women have proved non-existent,” the Speaker stated, adding: “Our ladies should desist from everything that can expose them to unnecessary violence. They should be mindful of friends they keep, gatherings they find themselves and the kinds of dresses they put on. Some of these variables are inherent triggers of violence against them in most cases. So, morality should be their watchword in every occasion.”

Obasa said the House of Assembly passed two laws some years back on Child Abuse and Domestic Violence against Women.

These laws, he said, became necessary because the state government and the society could no longer accept the adornment of domestic violence in the garb of family affair.

According to him, the laws also came into force to “provide information about support services and encouraging citizens to break the culture of silence by reporting cases of violations and pursuing criminal litigation to punish offenders”.

In her opening remarks, the wife of the Governor of Lagos State, Bolanle Ambode, challenged the international community to be more pragmatic in its pursuit of children and female protection.

Ambode, who was represented by Rhoda Ayinde, queried the potency of the extant conventions, major international treaties, national policies and legislations that seek to protect the rights of women and children.

She said: “It is only when the international community and government across the globe wake up from their deep slumber and deploy commensurate political will to this ill-will that the feminine gender will begin to leave a sigh of relief.”