His scariest rise of sexual violence cases

Sir: In today’s Nigeria, sexual violence has become a common phenomenon and a household name and victimising women becomes an order of the day. This barbaric act has been unleashed in Nigeria in different forms, which include a coerced sex both in marriage and dating relationships, rape by strangers, and organised rape during war, especially with the worsening activities of terrorists in northern Nigeria. The sexual violence also include demand of sex for jobs or for grades in higher institutions, as well as trafficking of women and girls, female genital mutilation, and forced exposure to pornography among other dehumanising act. Statistics shows that many young girls in Nigeria became victims of sexual violence and harassment as a result of child labor across the nation and the cases are still in the hike.

The victims of sexual violence such as rape and child abuse experience serious physical and psychological consequences ranging from unwanted pregnancy, rape trauma syndrome, social phobias, sexual dysfunction, sexual transmitted disease, stigmatisation and ostracisation by family and others, especially when it comes to marriage. And severe traumatic tendencies, which on some occasions led to suicidal decision by the victim. To this light, what government, civil society organisations have been doing and advocating for years? This is to say that their effort is not enough.

There must be a collective action against this barbarism and inhuman practices. It’s a collective duty of all and sundry in the society to contribute in curbing this menace.  And with a great deal of determination to institute a capital punishment against the perpetrators of this devilish act from our government, the rising cases of the sexual abuse will reduce drastically. The government must also initiate and support services and policies that enhance children’s development, health and safety and we must advocate for policies and programs to help meet the basic needs of children and families to help parents and stop being forced by an abject poverty to send their children to cities for working. The Non Governmental Organisations advocating for the stoppage of sexual violence in Nigeria must continue to create a robust awareness of the unacceptability of sexual abuse among the members of the general public.

All adults need to know that sexual abuse is a crime that often causes a great damage and prime factor that can end the life of a victim in its entirety. The relevant authorities must continue to educate the general public on the need to understand the hue of the perpetrators. Conclusively, I believe that with the rising cases of sexual violence in the country, every hour is a scariest one but with our collective action it could be stopped. When we all come together, we can make it happen.
Amina Bukar Dauda wrote from Kano.