By Onozure Dania

Lagos—A human right activist Mr Femi Falana, SAN, yesterday said that cultural and religious institutions, in the country especially churches and mosques, are the greatest promoters of sexual and domestic violence.

Falana also said that he would challenge cultural practices such as the Oro Festival in court because of their tradition of limiting women’s mobility through acts of violence in Ikorodu, Lagos and some other parts of the South west.

Falana

He said this at a symposium tagged ‘It’s on us to end violence against women and children’ organised by Access Bank’s Financial Control and Strategy Group in collaboration with Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team.

The symposium was organised to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and 16 days of activism against gender violence.

Those present at the event included: Access Bank’s chairperson, Mrs Mosun Belo-Olusoga, Group Managing Director, Dr. Herbert Wigwe, Lagos Attorney-General, Adeniji Kazeem, the state’s Solicitor-General, Funlola Odunlami and Lagos police boss, Fatai Owoseni.

Falana accused some religious leaders of trivialising sexual and domestic offences, stating that when such leaders are implicated in such acts, their followers gang up against the victims for daring to make a complaint.