During a series of interviews conducted by the News Agency for Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, several lawyers expressed their belief that the Federal Government (FG) create a rape crisis center.
During a series of interviews conducted by the News Agency for Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, several lawyers expressed their belief that the Federal Government (FG) create a rape crisis center.
The lawyers noted that the high incidence of rape affecting the country called for a more concerted effort to thwart the problem.
One lawyer, Chinelo Oputa, pointed out that impunity was one of the primary reasons behind the high rape rate in Nigeria. She explained that many cases are not properly investigated even those cases that are prosecuted generally result in no conviction or a light punishment.
“Despite the prevalence of rape and violence cases, offenders are neither arrested nor prosecuted.
“Even when arrest is made, prosecutors are often reluctant to take on such cases seriously,” she said.
Another lawyer, Oluwaseye Odediran, explained that very few rape victims receive any sort of counseling or assistance.
Many of the lawyers interviewed agreed that sensitization programs needed to be implemented in order to educate communities about the scourge of sexual violence.