In what appears to be an indictment on the nation’s conscience, the Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, recently said over 11,000 rape cases had been recorded in Nigeria with only 33 culprits convicted.
The minister spoke in Abuja at the orange ceremony and lighting of the UN house, which took place in commemoration of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.
The UN Women and Amnesty International have also raised concern about the high number of rape cases in Nigeria.
She said harmful cultural stereotypes, failures of law enforcement to investigate rape cases, toxic misogyny and insufficient support for survivors had created a culture of silence and impunity that continued to fail hundreds of women and girls every year.
“Concrete actions have not been taken to tackle the rape crisis in Nigeria with the seriousness it deserves. Women and girls continue to be failed by a system that makes it increasingly difficult for survivors to get justice, while allowing perpetrators to get away with gross human rights violations,” she said.
In recent years, there has been an upsurge in rape cases across the country, which led to some state governments to enact laws where in some cases the offence attracts life imprisonment.
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However, many believe that the issue is beyond enacting laws but more to do with failure to address the myriads of stumbling blocks that prevent the successful prosecution of offenders.
Many rape cases go unreported due to fear of stigma of the victims or being the fact that the offender is a close relation or friend of the victim’s family.
In many instances, victims are blamed for the crime thereby making it difficult for them to report such cases.
Again, according to experts, there is also a slow process in investigation which leads to loss of evidence vital to the conviction of the offender.
Only few states in the country have created a special unit to handle rape cases. Police, on their part, also hardly give rape cases, reported to them, special attention they deserve. Thus the victim and her family are left to bear the brunt. In some situations, where the offender is among the privileged class, the victim is intimidated into dropping the case.
But worse is the fact that there is no deliberate effort on the part of governments and society to address these issues, hence the prevalence of the crime. It is indeed, our collective failure to allow rape cases, that sometimes involve minors as victims to go unpunished.
Daily Trust believes that the society owes it a duty to protect and guarantee the integrity of all its members especially those who are vulnerable. A society where people, because of their privileged position, feel that they can violate the law and go free, is certainly not one that we should allow.
We, therefore, feel it is time for governments to review the situation in their respective states with a view to ensuring that a backlog of rape cases are disposed of immediately. The police should also strengthen their investigation mechanism to ensure such cases are handled with dispatch. The authorities should consider giving special training to their personnel handling such cases.
Our courts must ensure that cases of sexual violence are fairly and promptly handled. They should make deliberate effort to remove all barriers for rape survivors’ access to justice.
Also, civil society groups have a vital role to play in following up such cases and ensuring their quick disposal. Where they find any attempt to cover up, they owe it a duty to expose such. The media can also help in sensitising the public on issues related to rape.
The Legal Aid Council and the Nigeria Bar Association could also assist by working with relevant government agencies on how rape victims can get justice promptly.
However, the major responsibility lies with the parents and local authorities to encourage victims to report such cases and assure that justice is done.
Nigeria must make all efforts to ensure that all impidements to prosecution of rape cases are addressed. We must create such an atmosphere that makes our girls and women feel secure wherever they are.
It is about time we came together to ensure no rapist is allowed to go free. Otherwise, the society will become a dangerous one.
