Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has advocated for a severe action against rapists, including vigorous law enforcement to prosecute perpetrators. He made the scenecall during a virtual meeting organised by the Movement Against Rape and Sexual Violence, MARS-V.
El-Rufai added that the state had provided a law that provided life imprisonment for anyone convicted of the rape of a minor and 21 years for rape of an adult, noting that it is important for parents to teach their male children, the importance of respecting women from childhood.
The Governor also noted that the fear of stigmatisation, breakdown of the judicial system and lack of detailed investigation were some of the factors hindering the prosecution of cases of rape and gender based violence.
He called for the training of victims and law enforcement officers on the preservation of evidence for successful prosecution of rape cases.
According to him, there was also a seeming conspiracy of silence by traditional and religious leaders, “where society as a whole insists on covering up cases of rape.”
In her remarks, Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, explained that the rape epidemic has existed for a long time in Nigeria, adding that women and girls have always been disproportionally affected by Gender-Based-Violence, GBV.
