Nigeria first Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has called for the appropriation and enforcement of stiffer laws and punishment for rapists and perpetrators of sexual abuse and other forms of gender-based violence in the country.
The First Lady, who decried the alarming rate of Rape cases, said those involved should not be allowed to roam the street and hurt other persons.
She made the call at the 1st gender and Social Norms Summit organized by the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA in collaboration with the Office of the First Lady of Nigeria.
According to her, “there must be improved legislation to give, and enforce appropriate punishment to perpetrators of rape, sexual abuse and other forms of gender based violence, who are dangerous and not deserving of roaming the streets. We have to speak not only firm and tough but act accordingly”.
She decried the increased spate of rape cases and gender based violence, which she described as alarming, adding that “Every single day, we hear about rape cases, even our babies are violated. Do we allow this trend to continue or do we look the other way?
“That is why I am calling on the law enforcement agencies, the Inspector General of Police, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Chairman of the National Assembly, who is the Senate President, to appropriate and enforce stiffer laws and punishment to perpetrators of rape, sexual abuse and other forms of gender based violence. No guilty party should be allowed to go free and start roaming the streets looking for the next victim”.
United Nations Population Fund, Gender Analyst, Karima Bungudu, while presenting the works of the UNFPA in Nigeria based on situational Analysis pointed out that nearly one in three Nigerian women have experienced some form of gender-based violence including women with disabilities who are the more susceptible and vulnerable ones.
The prevalence of harmful practices such as Female Genital Mutilation, child marriage, which, in some cases, leads to Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF) and other forms of violence against girls and women remain unacceptably high.