In all lands and climes, rape is a social ill heavily frowned at and in the Af­rican cultural setting, it is particularly a great taboo.

Nigeria is, however, facing a frightening sce­nario because of the ris­ing wave of children’s rape, a situation which many concerned citi­zens describe as a very sore point in the nation’s socio-cultural history.

Nigerians are inun­dated daily with news of rape and molestation of innocent little children, including boys and the most annoying aspect of the development, ob­servers say, is that most of the perpetrators of the heinous crime go scot-free, while the mo­lested child is left to cope with the scars and trauma.

Experts point out that the effects of rape on the victims are very traumatic and could be a life-long experience if there is no proper coun­seling.

The Criminal Code, defines rape as an “un­lawful carnal knowledge of a woman or girl, with­out her consent, or with a consent obtained by force or by means of threats or intimidation of any kind, or by fear of harm, or by means of false and fraudulent rep­resentation as to the na­ture of the act.”

The Penal Code, which operates in north­ern Nigeria, also criminalises both rape and “defilement” of girls.

Rights activists note that Nigeria is not oblivious of the global movement toward pro­tecting the children’s rights, as the country in 2003 enacted the Child Rights Act, which domesticates the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The activists also say that the Act, which was enacted at the federal level, however, has a lim­iting proviso that requires state legislatures to en­act it for its application in their respective states.

Other keen observers say that currently, 24 out of the country’s 36 states have passed the Child Rights Act. They note that the remaining 12 states have yet to pass the law in spite of the intense advocacy vis­its made to their gover­nors by successive min­isters of Women Affairs and Social Development,

Some analysts, none­theless, express reserva­tions about extant laws on rape and societal at­titude to the crime, which seemingly provides es­cape routes for rapists, thus leading to an up­surge in the crime.

Some medics have even ascribed child rape tendencies to some psy­chiatric problems in the perpetrators.

“I feel that the rape laws of the land are highly inadequate. Enough of the ‘talk-talk’, there should be some examples to deter others from engaging in such inhuman acts,” says Dr Jasper Oniru, a medical consultant.

“If stiffer penalties are enforced, perpetrators of such acts will think twice before engaging in the dastardly act. It is be­cause of the inadequa­cies in our laws that people commit the crime and carry on as if every­thing is norma1.

“How can you explain the N100,000 option of fine given to a man who used a screwdriver to poke the private dart of a young girl?

“It is simply ludicrous and any time I remember the incident I feel outraged. Such a man should be sent to the psychiatric hospital im­mediately and not to prison,” Oniru says.

Mr Idris Bawa, who is a consultant to the Jus­tice and Growth Programme of the Brit­ish Council, says that many of the sentences passed by the courts on rape cases are “disturb­ing”.

According to him, many of the sentences, with option of fines, do not meet international standards.

He says that the Presidency should set up a task force to review comprehensively exist­ing laws, including those on rape, to make them relevant to our contem­porary needs.

Bawa says that about 13 bills relating to the rights of women and children, which are pending at the National Assembly (NASS), should      also be harmonised and passed.

He says, however, that UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the British Council had fa­cilitated a workshop where all the pending bills were harmonised and a copy sent to NASS through the WRAPA an NGO.

Mrs Josephine Anenih, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social De­velopment affirms that urgent steps should be taken to review the old laws and the prescribed sanctions, so as to deter potential offenders.

“I think it is a serious problem that should not be handled with kid gloves. I can assure you that stakeholders are meeting and consulting widely to come up with a lasting solution to this problem,” she assures.

Sharing similar senti­ments, a lawyer, Halima Shekarau, who is an ex­ecutive member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) says that a review of laws on rape is imperative.

“Some offences that pertain to rape were not included in the old law. Punishments were not provided for offences like forced oral sex, anal sex, finger insertion, amongst others,” she says.

Halima, who also works with I S, an NGO, stresses that efforts are being made by stakeholders to create public awareness of the need to review rape laws.

Some observers also note that existing laws are silent on the rape of young boys, which is a rising phenomenon.

Mr Femi Akin-James, a businessman, however, thinks that the problem is not about new or re­viewed laws but rather on enforcement.

“You will agree with me that Nigeria boasts of the best policies concerning any issue. On paper, the policies are usually flawless but the problem is always implementation,” he says.

Rights activists recall that a report issued last year by Amnesty Inter­national (AI) described rape incidents in Nigeria as a “silent killer” and called on the Federal Govemment to be more firm in dealing with the offenders.

AI’s Africa’s Director, Mr Kola Olaniyan, alleges in the report that some unscrupulous se­curity officials also per­petrated rape offences.

The story of a boy, who was raped by a neighbour that is married to four wives in Nasarawa State, in­censes Mrs Joyce Obiakor, a housewife, who wonders if the world is indeed coming to an end.

“How else will I ex­plain that? A year-­old boy raped by a man with four wives? That is abominable,” she says.

As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to cel­ebrate the Children’s Day, advocates of child and women’s rights stress the urgent need to safeguard the future of the children.

They called for concerted actions by all stakeholders to stem the sexual abuse of women and children, which is assum­ing a frightening dimension in the country.

Bada writes for NAN

Yetunde Bada