Some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Abuja on Thursday called for more commitment of security agencies towards securing the conviction of sex offenders in the country.
The coalition said that this would curb the high rate of activities of perpetrators of sexual violence against women and girls.
They added that change of attitude of the enforcers of the laws would encourage victims and relatives to speak out on the crime.
The organisations made this known at a Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Awareness rally organised by the Disability Right Advocacy Centre (DRAC).
The rally was to commemorate the 2018 “16 Days of Activism against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence”.
Commenting on the issue, Mrs Irene Patrick-Ogbogu, the DRAC Executive Director, said that the lives and reproductive health of children and women were constantly being destroyed through acts of violence.
Patrick-Ogbogu said that law enforcement agencies needed to put more effort towards the prosecution and conviction of perpetrators to reverse this ugly trend of sexual and gender-based violence in the society.
She said that statistics have shown that the number of children and women sexually molested on a daily basis was increasing at an alarming rate.
“We are worried about the rising spate of sexual and gender-based violence in the country.
“We are just as concerned at the low rate of convictions of perpetrators of these offences.
“This rally coincides with the beginning of the trial of the lecturer in Benue state who together with his son, raped and tortured an eight year old girl (Ochanya) until she eventually died at age 13 from complications arising from the abuse.
“There is the case of 6-month old Khadija, sexually molested by her own father and 14-year-old Obiamaka gang-raped to death by miscreants because she turned down their overtures.
“We are demanding that law enforcement agents become more proactive in the way they handle issues of gender-based violence.
“We want to see more prosecutions and convictions of perpetrators. We need this people arrested; we no longer want to hear that cases are being swept under the carpet or covered up.
“Statistics show that 71 per cent of female children will experience sexual violence before they turn 18. This is an alarming statistics”, Patrick-Ogbogu said.
She appealed to religious leaders to preach against sexual and gender-based violence in their places of worship and desist from covering up such cases.
Mrs Agnes Hart, Director, Gender Development, Social Development Secretariat, FCT, said the secretariat had set up a response team in the territory to ensure prompt response to cases of sexual violence.
She said that the team was always available to receive reports on cases of sexual violence and work to ensure that such issues were addressed appropriately.
Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
