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From Godwin Tsa, Abuja
A Justice of the Court of Appeal and wife of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike, has called for a review of the Child’s Rights Act 2003 to include stringent penalties for rape and child sexual abuse cases.
The female jurist, who is the chairperson of the national stakeholders committee on the review of the Child’s Rights Act 2003, made the call in Abuja at the inauguration of the committee.
She said the reviewed law must equally ensure effective prosecution, adequate psychosocial support for survivors and stronger protective mechanisms within the justice system.
“In addition, penalties for rape and child sexual abuse should be sufficiently stringent and aligned with existing national frameworks such as the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act in order to serve as a strong deterrent to offenders,” she advocated.
Justice Suzzette Nyesom-Wike further sought the inclusion of the law against female genital mutilation in the reviewed Child’s Rights Act, arguing that such “practices have no place in a modern society that values human dignity and the sanctity of life”.
Speaking further on this controversial issue, Justice Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike said: “Female genital mutilation is a very dangerous cultural practice that achieves little or nothing. The trauma, physical, emotional and psychological pains caused by this practice often lead to death in cases of profuse bleeding, in many instances.
“Nature is very kind to us. We cannot argue with our Creator on the decisions taken on our physiology. There is an intended purpose for the inclusion of the form of the outer female genitalia as presented and that purpose is not for it to be cut off.
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She argued: “Rather than cutting off the clitoris to prevent promiscuity, why don’t we teach our girl child the value of chastity, restraint and abstinence? Why don’t we teach them the values in our Holy books and the value of delayed gratification by waiting for marriage? This had been achieved in the past and we can very well return to it.
“Female genital mutilation can never be a fast-fix to the issue of impropriety in our girls, as it rather exacerbates the issue by making our girls defiant, unruly, unserious with their studies and life’s goals and especially increasing their curiosity about that part of their body in a disadvantageous manner. This is not to speak about the trauma, intense pain, sense of loss, contraction of diseases by sharing the same knife/blade (amongst all the victims) and degrading dehumanisation that it causes them, in the process of the activity.
She noted that Nigeria has made international commitments to eliminate this harmful practice because of the serious physical, psychological and social harm it causes to girls.
The jurist therefore said the reviewed Child’s Rights Act must address this issue decisively in order to protect the health, dignity and rights of the girl-child.
In addition to the above issues, she said cases involving children should be handled only by specialised courts designed to protect their interests and privacy.
“The Family Court should therefore be strengthened and designated as the exclusive forum for the hearing and determination of all matters involving children. This will ensure that proceedings are conducted in a child-sensitive environment with appropriately trained judicial officers and support personnel.
“Another area for attention is the issue of cyberbullying, grooming, safety and security of children in cyberspace, which has become a serious challenge and poses great risks to our children. The extant CRA could not capture this at the time of its advent, as such issues had yet to arise. This ought to be captured in the new CRA.
Beyond these issues, Justice Suzzette Nyesom-Wike expressed the need to strengthen the broader system of protection, rehabilitation and reintegration for children in conflict with the law, ensuring that restorative and rehabilitative approaches remain central to our child justice system.
