Sexual assault offenders should be Castrated Publicly - Minister

Dame Pauline Tallen, the Minister for Women's Affairs and Social Development, has urged for harsh penalties for perpetrators of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in order to dissuade others. 

On Thursday, the Minister made this statement at Nigeria's Seventh Conference on Sexual Assault Referral Centers. 

The event was part of the British Council's Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption program's "16 Days of Activism against SGBV 2021," which was financed by the European Union and organized by the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption program. 

The Minister, who spoke on the escalating cases of SGBV in Nigeria, called for action while endorsing Kaduna State's laws that mandate castration as a punishment for sexual assault perpetrators.

She said, "two or more of those sexual offenders should be castrated publicly" to serve as a deterrence to others. 

Tallen stated that as of November 24, 2021, the National Situation Room and Dashboard set up in the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs under the UN/EU Spotlight initiative targeting Six States supported by UNDP had totaled 5,204 cases reported, of which 3,125 survivors are seeking justice and only 33 perpetrators have been convicted, accounting for 0.51 percent.

There are 160 dead instances, 231 closed cases, and 972 open cases (cases ongoing in court). The Minister stated that the current trend is unacceptable, and that efforts with the Federal Ministry of Justice to secure justice for victims and survivors will be stepped up.

"The present administration under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has demonstrated high commitment not only to eliminate harmful practices against women and girls but also to curb the rampaging impact of COVID-19 pandemic and other SGBV. 

"In the light of this, a significant amount in our 2022 budget has been dedicated to fighting Gender Based-Violence nationwide. 

"Mr President in his 2022 Budget Statement to the National Assembly has gone a step further to direct that Ministries, Departments and Agencies must devote some amount in their budgets to address gender-related issues."

Tallen urged the relevant ministries to engage in and increase lobbying to states and rural communities in order to bring more awareness to this issue. 

In a similar spirit, Danladi Plang, National Program Manager, RoLAC Program, and other stakeholders have advocated for the creation of specialized courts to prosecute cases of sexual and gender-based violence. 

Plang also emphasized the importance of essential actors cooperating in the fight and providing a platform for specialists to develop policy choices, legal innovations, best practices, establishment processes, and operational modalities. 

"For many years, there have been calls for the prosecution of SGBV cases in separate courts; it is for this reason that RoLAC is advocating for a distinct legal process this year," he stated. 

"The major goal of this conference is to explore policy choices, recommendations, and actions for the effective disposal of victim's rights, as well as mobilize key actors."

He went on to say that a lot has changed since last year, with most states having domesticated the VAPP law and now having more SARC, with roughly 32 being created, the most recent being Kebbi State.

"Of certainly, the Centers are supporting more victims and survivors," Plang added.

As of June of this year, we were supporting around 21,000 survivors.

The SARC has been caring for around 6900 of the 21,000 survivors during the last eight years, accounting for nearly 30% of survivors.

"Despite the small number of incidents documented, there is a strong consensus that prosecuting offenders is critical."

The number of victims is disproportionately higher than the number of perpetrators. "Of course, they all deserve justice, no matter how dissimilar they are."

Comfort Lamptey, UN Women's Country Representative, emphasized the importance of working together to raise awareness and educate people about the epidemic of Gender-Based Violence in our communities and countries. 

Lamptey remarked that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the 16 Days of Activism campaign, stating that one in every three women worldwide has been sexually abused, and that in Nigeria, 28% of women had been raped in one form or another between the ages of 15 and 49.

She went on to say that 16% of women and girls had experienced this from their spouses and at home, with the number rising during times of crisis. 

"A fivefold spike in GBV was detected during the first month of the lockdown directive," she stated. Since the commencement of COVID 19, one in every four women feels unsafe at home. Women are likewise feeling increasingly vulnerable outside the house.

According to the UN Women, Nigeria must guarantee that survivors of GBV have full access to justice and that perpetrators are held accountable. The UNWomen joint spotlight project states, "Preventive strategies are vital to eliminate GBV." 

The VAPP Act, which was passed in 2015, has already been domesticated in 30 of Nigeria's 36 states. "Put women at the center of answers, including policy situation solutions, strengthen services, including justice for women who experience abuse," said the ECOWAS envoy to Nigeria and ECOWAS. Isopi: Impunity aids in the spread of GBV.

We may not be able to stop GBV unless we end impunity. "We need a lot of effort before we can start talking about special courts," says Justice Ibrahim Muhammad.