The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons says state governors and assemblies that are delaying the domestication of the Violence Against Person Prohibition (VAPP) Act are inadvertently promoting sexual violence in their domains.
NAPTIP Director-General, Julie Okah-Donli, said this at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.
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Reacting to the growing incidents of rape cases across the country, Okah-Donli urged state governors to domesticate the Act in order to deal with rapists.
She stated that only about five states currently had laws against sexual and gender-based violence with the leading states being Lagos and Ekiti.
“This is a clarion call for states to domesticate the VAPP Act in their state in order to deepen the protection of women and children from predators in our society,” she said.
She said cases of rape were usually under-reported and under-prosecuted in the country, listing the psychological reactions of victims as “feeling of shame, humiliation, confusion, fear, and rage.”
She also urged the security agencies to arrest and deal appropriately with anybody justifying rape.
“This is because there’s no justification whatsoever for anyone to rape anybody.
“All the causes why women are raped that people linked to indecent dressings, going out late and others are unjustifiable and ridiculous.
She said those charged with rape had a higher than average rate of acquittal mainly because it was difficult to prove a crime for which there is usually no third party witnesses.
