Stakeholders Advocate Severe Penalties For Rapists

Stakeholders have called for the implementation and enforcement of existing laws against rape to tackle the spate of violent crimes and rape across the country.
The call was made in separate interviews in a survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the increasing cases of rape in the country conducted by our correspondents in Yenagoa and Uyo.
They identified major causes to include influence of western culture, pornography, drug abuse, a dip in the nation’s social values, and failure of regulatory agencies to contain them.
A Gender Desk Officer, Women and Children Affairs, an NGO, Mr Tonye Ayama, said in Yenagoa that the unregulated use of hard drugs, indecent exposure of women in some cases, and the lack of parental control were some of the causes of rising cases of rape.
Ayama, also a staff of Bayelsa Ministry of Women called for urgent enforcement of existing laws in all states to curb the violent act against women.
“The government at all levels, community heads and individuals should work together to create awareness on the dangers of rape.
Acounsellor, Mr Sunday Onu said the society, religious leaders and government at all levels have roles to play to stem the ugly trend.
“There is the need to create awareness on the crime to protect our young women from rapists and drug addicts,’’he said.
However, the Bayelsa Government has established a Family Court to deal decisively with violation of the Child Rights in the state.
The court was mandated to ensure accelerated hearing on cases of child rape, violence against women and children, child trafficking and kidnapping, and child custody disputes.
Chairperson, International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) in Bayelsa, Mrs Dise Ogbise-Erhisere said the court began sitting after a High Court Judge and Magistrate were appointed by the State Judiciary.
According to Ogbise-Erhisere, the establishment of the court would accelerate prosecution of perpetrators of violent crimes against children and women in the state.
She expressed concern over the non-existence of child care homes and juvenile homes in the state and urged the government to build them.
According to her, the child care homes will guarantee a better future for victims of rape and sexual abuse.
She also noted that the juvenile homes would ensure that teenagers who have had a rough deal with the law are rehabilitated and integrated into the society.
A Social Scientist and Senior Lecturer, University of Uyo, Dr Aniekan Brown, attributed the rise in cases of rape across the states to the failure of regulatory institutions to guard against its spread.
Brown said that religious institutions have vital roles to play in shaping the moral behaviours of citizens, saying that they have failed to live up to expectations.
“The failure of religious institutions like the Church or Mosque to play their role is one and the second fact is that Nigerian social structures had set goals for everybody but had not given equal opportunities for people to meet such goals.”
“In the past moral instruction was part of the school curriculum but this day the country said no to it. Now, anybody is at liberty to query, “ who made you her moral instructor?’’