Gender rights activists have called for more severe punishment for sexual offenders to serve as a deterrent to others.
According to them, there was a high prevalence of domestic and sexual offences, many of which are not reported due to socio-cultural and religious reasons.
Reducing the menace, they said, would require the collective effort of the government, healthcare providers, educational institutions, faith-based organisations, traditional authorities, the judiciary, civil society groups, the family, youth movements, mass media, and other stakeholders.
They made the call in a communiqué issued at the end of a summit at the American Corner in Abuja to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
The United Nations set aside every November 25 to raise awareness on the need to eliminate violence against women and to stimulate positive actions towards women emancipation.
The Gender Advocacy for Justice Initiative (GAJI), Youth for Transparency international, Gyunka New Hope Foundation, Auxano Foundation for Empowerment and Development (AFED) and the Help Keep Clean Foundation were represented at the summit.
The communique was signed on the groups’ behalf by GAJI’s representative, Miss Janet Gbam, who is the Principal Partner of Fortitude Attorneys.
The groups said despite the existence of several domestic and international legislations against violence against women and girls, there were still high incidences of abuses.
They identified a strong link between early/child marriage and domestic violence, as underage girls exposed to early marriage are prone to sexual, emotional and physical abuses.
The groups expressed optimism that the law enforcement agencies and all relevant authorities/stakeholders would prioritise the elimination of violence against women.
They urged the Federal and State Ministries of Education to initiate and implement policies to check teachers and lecturers who interact with students (especially females) and to strictly discourage “incongruous conducts”.
They want schools to be better secured to reduce the exposure of girls to risks of abuse, for girls to be taught self-confidence to make them less vulnerable, and for background checks to be conducted on teachers before employing them, and while in service.
The groups urged law enforcement agencies, such as the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Police, to step up the prosecution of perpetrators and in sensitising the public.
“All states in Nigeria should speedily domesticate the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015 in their respective jurisdictions and/or make relevant legislations to that effect, just as Lagos State and some other states have done.
“Judicial officers should award stiff sentences to offenders to act as a deterrent to others. The media should accord wide publicity to convicted violators of women’s rights and give adequate time to the reporting of such vices, to discourage the crime,” they said.
The NGOs urged religious and traditional leaders to step up awareness on the consequences of early sexual exposure and to orientate men to take responsibility for protecting the females around them.
They called for a review of cultures and traditions that discriminate against women, adding that underprivileged females should be financially empowered to make them less vulnerable.
The National Orientation Agency (NOA), the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), ministries of women affairs and relevant authorities were urged to create more awareness on existing laws and reporting procedures and to ensure that reported cases are not treated with levity.
