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Fred Ezeh, Abuja
National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), yesterday, confirmed that no fewer than 80 cases of rape were recorded in Anambra State during the COVID-19 lockdown, most of them father-daughter rape (incest).
The Director-General, Julie Okah-Donli, who made the disclosure at a press conference in Abuja, expressed worry at rising cases of rape across the country.
She said Sokoto State Hisbah recorded over 600 cases of rape in 2019, and these excluded several other cases not reported.
“This does not capture the unreported cases of those violated and killed in dark alleys, buried in septic tanks in remote areas yet undiscovered, those cases handled as family issues out of public glare, among several others. Since the sexual offenders register became operational last year, it has recorded 78 cases, 51 cases are in court, with 12 convictions, including life imprisonment as penalty for rape.”
She accused some parents of aiding rape, knowingly or unknowingly, against their children by paying less attention or taking for granted some things that encourage sexual violation of their female children.
She frowned at the practice of providing and allowing children unchecked access to sophisticated and Internet-enabled smart phones, which, most often, exposed children to vices.
She also flayed the attitude of parents who failed to create the atmosphere for their children to speak up and expressed themselves freely on issues of sexuality.
“Many parents feel free to leave their female children with their drivers, housemaids, uncles and other family members without regular checks and close observation. Evidently, 90 per cent of reported rape cases are done by close family members, including the father. It is important that parents shouldn’t allow their daughters to sit on the lap of one uncle or family member, or be touched carelessly, or be called ‘my wife’ or ‘my husband.’ That is how it starts. Some men are bisexual too; they sleep with boys even when they have wives at home.”
She said NAPTP had developed a template for procedural responses for victims of rape and their families.
“The victim should not bath and should not change clothes. If a condom was used, the victim should collect it for evidence and not destroy it. Most importantly, go to hospital immediately and request to see the doctor for a report,” she said.
The NAPTIP boss said the agency had written to state governors appealing for the adoption of the Violence Against Persons (VAP) Act and the Child Rights Act in their states.
“As at today, only five states have laws against sexual and gender-based violence and Lagos and Ekiti top the list. This is a clarion call for states to domesticate the VAP Act to deepen the protection of women and children from predators in our society,” she said.
Meanwhile, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has said Nigeria needs more than $182 million to sustain states and families devastated by COVID-19 and insurgency.
“Help and funding are needed urgently for millions of people in Nigeria who have been hit severely by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, including conflict-hit communities on life-support in the North-East. More than $182 million is needed to sustain lifesaving aid to Africa’s most populous country over the next six months. We are concerned by conflict-affected communities in northeast Nigeria who already face extreme hunger and who are especially vulnerable. They are on life-support and need assistance to survive,” said Elisabeth Byrs, WFP spokesperson.
Byrs listed Borno, Adamawa and Yobe as states severely hit by crisis and in need of help for more than 1.8 million people.
“The three states have been plagued by a decade-long insurgency that has spilled over into the Lake Chad region. It remains among the most severe humanitarian crises in the world, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), with some 7.9 million mainly women and children in need of urgent assistance today. That’s why WFP is distributing now two months’ worth of food and nutrition assistance in IDP camps and among vulnerable communities to ensure that people have enough food while they are on full or partial lockdown,” Byrs said.
The latest World Health Organisation (WHO) data indicates that the country has seen more than 12,800 confirmed cases of new coronavirus and over 360 deaths linked to the respiratory disease.
“More than 3.8 million people, mainly working in the informal sector, face losing their jobs amid rising hardship. This could rise to 13 million, if movement restrictions continue for a longer period. This would add to the almost 20 million (23 per cent of the labour force) already out of work.
