THE FAILURE OF NIGERIA LEGISLATORS IN PROMULGATING LAWS THAT WILL AID PROSECUTION OF SEX OFFENDERS.
INTRODUCTION:
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation , is usually
undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another.
When force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it
is called sexual assault . The offender is referred to as a
sexual abuser or (often pejoratively) molester. The term
also covers any behavior by an adult or older adolescent
towards a child to stimulate a child sexually. The use of a
child, or other individuals younger than the age of consent,
for sexual stimulation is referred to as child sexual abuse
or statutory rape.
FORMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE:
*Spousal sexual abuse
*Child sexual abuse
*Abuse of people with developmental disabilities.
Different forms of sexual abuse are on the
increase. Most are neither investigated and if investigated at
all, the perpetrators are not prosecuted.
A human rights lawyer, Mr. Evans Ufeli, at the 5th edition of
a quarterly public dialogue that focuses on child abuses and
parenting in Lagos, ‘The Conversation’, on November 8, 2015,
said Nigeria has recorded only 18 rape convictions in its legal
history.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the Lagos State
Government on Tuesday said that no fewer than 150 cases
of sexual and physical abuse were reported in the state in
the last one year.
The Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mrs
Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf disclosed this at a ministerial news
conference on Tuesday, April 26, in Ikeja, Lagos.
Apart from the data given on Tuesday by Akinbile-Yussuf, the
Director of the Office of Public Defender, Mrs. Omotola
Rotimi at the 2015 Press Week organised by the Lagos State
Governor’s Office Correspondents had expressed worry over
the growing cases of rape.
Rotimi said between January and September that year, the
OPD handled about 70 child defilement cases and 406 rape
cases, adding that 1,143 of such cases were treated
between 2007 till then.
The TAMAR Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Enugu, on
Wednesday April 20, also revealed that it has received
reports of 472 separate cases of sexual abuse in Enugu
State since 2014.
The report released by the centre indicates that there were
14 cases of attempted rape, 37 incidents involved domestic
violence-related forms of sexual abuse, 42 cases involved
infants below five years, 86 incidents affected children
between six and 10 years while those from 11 to 13 years
were victims in 73 of the reported cases.
Teenagers between 14 and 17 years were victims of sexual
abuse in 81 cases, 86 incidents involved those between 18
and 22 years, while 73 other cases concerned victims
between 23 and 29 years.
Thirty years and above were victims in 31 reported cases.
According to the Executive Director, Women Aid Collective,
Mrs Joy Ezeilo Ezeilo, available records revealed that 89
victims were gang raped, seven victims were not able to
remember the number of persons that raped them.
The records further revealed that, in most of the cases, the
perpetrators were known to their victims.
The records also show that out of the 472 cases reported,
354 persons knew their perpetrators while 118 persons do
not know them.
Of the 354 perpetrators known, 52 are family members while
302 are not family members.
However, out of the total of 472 cases of sexual abuse
recorded by the centre, only 37 were charged to court.
Out of the 37 cases that went to court, five were discharged,
seven are at prosecution stage while conviction was
recorded in one case, with the perpetrator sentenced to 14
years in prison.
Twenty-four other cases are awaiting trial, according to
Ezeilo.
Also, the centre recorded 15 pregnancies as a result of the
472 sexual abuse incidents, as well as two cases of HIV
infection.
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, sexual abuse is a deadly crime committed against a
woman,(and attimes males), it has often times led to suicide or diseases that
eventually lead to death. Sexual abuse is an incident that robs its
victims of all forms of dignity and a reason for existence yet
the justice system in Nigeria has been set up in such a way
that it is almost impossible for the victim to get justice. For
this reason, many sexual abuse cases(esp. Rape), go unreported and the victims
who still believe in the justice system of Nigeria will have
nothing but stigmatization as a reward the justice system in
Nigeria has to be seriously reviewed regarding the way it
treats sexual abuse cases as more criminals will continue to
perpetuate such acts, knowing that there will be no
punishment for them. Sexual abuse should be strongly fought and not
encouraged. There should be some form of succour for the
victim, as the judiciary is the last hope of the common man.
*ZERO TOLERANCE TO RAPE AND ALL FORMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE!!!*
BY: SEGUN BADMUS.
INTRODUCTION:
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation , is usually
undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another.
When force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it
is called sexual assault . The offender is referred to as a
sexual abuser or (often pejoratively) molester. The term
also covers any behavior by an adult or older adolescent
towards a child to stimulate a child sexually. The use of a
child, or other individuals younger than the age of consent,
for sexual stimulation is referred to as child sexual abuse
or statutory rape.
FORMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE:
*Spousal sexual abuse
*Child sexual abuse
*Abuse of people with developmental disabilities.
Different forms of sexual abuse are on the
increase. Most are neither investigated and if investigated at
all, the perpetrators are not prosecuted.
A human rights lawyer, Mr. Evans Ufeli, at the 5th edition of
a quarterly public dialogue that focuses on child abuses and
parenting in Lagos, ‘The Conversation’, on November 8, 2015,
said Nigeria has recorded only 18 rape convictions in its legal
history.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the Lagos State
Government on Tuesday said that no fewer than 150 cases
of sexual and physical abuse were reported in the state in
the last one year.
The Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mrs
Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf disclosed this at a ministerial news
conference on Tuesday, April 26, in Ikeja, Lagos.
Apart from the data given on Tuesday by Akinbile-Yussuf, the
Director of the Office of Public Defender, Mrs. Omotola
Rotimi at the 2015 Press Week organised by the Lagos State
Governor’s Office Correspondents had expressed worry over
the growing cases of rape.
Rotimi said between January and September that year, the
OPD handled about 70 child defilement cases and 406 rape
cases, adding that 1,143 of such cases were treated
between 2007 till then.
The TAMAR Sexual Assault Referral Centre, Enugu, on
Wednesday April 20, also revealed that it has received
reports of 472 separate cases of sexual abuse in Enugu
State since 2014.
The report released by the centre indicates that there were
14 cases of attempted rape, 37 incidents involved domestic
violence-related forms of sexual abuse, 42 cases involved
infants below five years, 86 incidents affected children
between six and 10 years while those from 11 to 13 years
were victims in 73 of the reported cases.
Teenagers between 14 and 17 years were victims of sexual
abuse in 81 cases, 86 incidents involved those between 18
and 22 years, while 73 other cases concerned victims
between 23 and 29 years.
Thirty years and above were victims in 31 reported cases.
According to the Executive Director, Women Aid Collective,
Mrs Joy Ezeilo Ezeilo, available records revealed that 89
victims were gang raped, seven victims were not able to
remember the number of persons that raped them.
The records further revealed that, in most of the cases, the
perpetrators were known to their victims.
The records also show that out of the 472 cases reported,
354 persons knew their perpetrators while 118 persons do
not know them.
Of the 354 perpetrators known, 52 are family members while
302 are not family members.
However, out of the total of 472 cases of sexual abuse
recorded by the centre, only 37 were charged to court.
Out of the 37 cases that went to court, five were discharged,
seven are at prosecution stage while conviction was
recorded in one case, with the perpetrator sentenced to 14
years in prison.
Twenty-four other cases are awaiting trial, according to
Ezeilo.
Also, the centre recorded 15 pregnancies as a result of the
472 sexual abuse incidents, as well as two cases of HIV
infection.
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, sexual abuse is a deadly crime committed against a
woman,(and attimes males), it has often times led to suicide or diseases that
eventually lead to death. Sexual abuse is an incident that robs its
victims of all forms of dignity and a reason for existence yet
the justice system in Nigeria has been set up in such a way
that it is almost impossible for the victim to get justice. For
this reason, many sexual abuse cases(esp. Rape), go unreported and the victims
who still believe in the justice system of Nigeria will have
nothing but stigmatization as a reward the justice system in
Nigeria has to be seriously reviewed regarding the way it
treats sexual abuse cases as more criminals will continue to
perpetuate such acts, knowing that there will be no
punishment for them. Sexual abuse should be strongly fought and not
encouraged. There should be some form of succour for the
victim, as the judiciary is the last hope of the common man.
*ZERO TOLERANCE TO RAPE AND ALL FORMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE!!!*
BY: SEGUN BADMUS.
Sexual Abuse.
Reviewed by Caleb Bresh
on
September 14, 2016
Rating:
Reviewed by Caleb Bresh
on
September 14, 2016
Rating:
