Mustapha Calls For Punitive Measures Against Rape Culprits To Serve As Deterrent To Others

By Otobong Gabriel, Abuja

The Secretary to the government of the federation, Boss Gidahyelda Mustapha  has said that if we must fight the scourge of sexual violence, we must keep aside the culture of doctrine of traditions and deal decisively with the culprits with punishment that is punitive enough to serve as deterrent to people that would ever contemplate defiling children.

He said this on Friday in Abuja during the launch of Hanan Buhari Foundation, adding that the rape cases are highly unimaginable these days, raping a child of three years, five years is really unimaginable but its happening, " so definitely we need to have a conversation around the table on this issue and as much as possible train our girl child to not be scared or afraid to speak up and also as parents we have a responsibility of coaching and training our children to be very sensitive to certain acts from adult".

Mustapha however commended Hanan Buhari for taking such a bold step to demonstrate leadership by given a voice to the voiceless victims " as young as she is, she is conscious of the fact that this is a scourge on the society that needs to be tackled as quickly as possible." Its quite timely , this culture of silence has engraved in our tradition for so long, people don't talk about it, and this has given the culprit the feeling that he or she would always go scour free, our legislature do not give the necessary encouragement for people to report, investigations contacted and eventually trials are pursuit because of the intricate legal system, how many years does a victim has to wait to get justice? he said.

Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer, Hanan Buhari Foundation, Hanan Buhari said her vision to see a country without rape where women, girls and boys are free to participate in self actualization without fear or prejudice let to her founding the Hanan Buhari Foundation to address this onerous antisocial norms, sexual violence.

According to her the foundation is focused on supporting the domestication of rape laws and monitor implementation of said laws to create a support system for victims of rape violence and also to raise awareness on the rape menaces in the society that will foster collaborations and partnerships for promoting justice for rape victims.

She said Nigeria’s rape culture has been in existence and tolerated for decades and often shrouded in secrecy due to ingrained patriarchal sex stereotypes, structural and systemic oppression women face, not to talk of the prevailing social norms and media portrayal that culturally treat women as sex objects and discourages open sexuality discussion, and stigmatizes women who dared to speak out. 

"According to a 2018 Statistical report on Women and Men in Nigeria using data obtained from Nigeria Police Force and Ministry of Justice revealed that the rape incidences for women and girls is on an increasing trend from 63% in 2015 to 72.1% in 2016 and 69.3% in 2017. Despite increase in activism, cases of rape are still grossly underreported. According data from Nigeria’s National Anti-Trafficking Agency, only about 32 cases were reported between 2019 and 2020 for fear of stigmatization".

She however frowned at the poor enforcement relating to laws regarding sexual violence, "Despite Acts such as Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP) 2015 and various states’ Violence Against Persons Prohibition Laws in Nigeria, which are all aimed at addressing issues of rape and other forms of sexual violence, enforcement of its laws is still sorely lacking in far too many cases.

She added that rape survivor must have immediate access to a health clinic that can provide emergency medical care, including HIV prevention and treatment, as well as counseling. A woman who has been beaten by her husband needs somewhere to go with her children to find safety, sanity, and shelter. When a victim of violence files a police report, she must have faith that she will receive justice and that the perpetrator will be punished. In addition, an adolescent boy in school learning about health and sexuality must be taught that coercion, violence, and discrimination against girls are all

 unacceptable.

Hanan Buhari Foundation (HBF) is a non-governmental, not for profit and non-political organization concerned with the issues of rape in Nigeria. It was co-founded by Mrs. Hanan Muhammadu Buhari, the daughter of the President of Nigeria and husband, Mr. Sha’aban.