On the 11th of June 2020, LIB and Kalakuta Books, the publishers of Odega Shawa’s novel ‘Hello, Vagina’, offered a challenge to all LIB readers around the world.
The question was simple: go to the comment section and suggest the appropriate punishment for RAPISTS in Nigeria.
We all know that rapists should be punished. To eradicate rape, a zero tolerance policy and stiffer punishment for rapists must be introduced, but what should this punishment be? The best comment was billed to get N10,000.00 cash.
The feedback will be seriously evaluated, collated and presented to the relevant law making authorities as a proposal.
After much perusal the winner of this challenge is Prisca-Wealth Eghomwanre.
Read Prisca’s submission:
Below is my proposal on how to punish rapists: 1. The Federal government and all the 36 states should set up a digital rape offenders register as a matter of extreme urgency. 2. All rape cases must be thoroughly investigated within a period of 1 month and sentence or acquittal given. 3. Once your name enters the rape offenders register, it will remain there for a minimum of 50 years and a maximum of 100 years 4. No rape offender will be allowed to process an international passport or travel outside this country. We wouldn’t want them to go and rape foreigners and bring disrepute to the country. 5. No rape offender will be allowed to access loans from any financial institution in the country. Like the BVN, each financial institution will be able to query the rape offenders register to be sure the person isn’t a rapist before processing any loan. Any financial institution that offers loans to a rape offender will lose 50% of their assets to the government to serve as a deterrent. 6. While visiting any hospital for medical attention, they must wear their rapist offender’s tag conspicuously. The tag must also be worn when visiting any public facility such as malls, markets, or cinemas 7. No rape offender should be issued a voter’s card. We wouldn’t want them to elect fellow rapists into political offices 8. Any vehicle-renewal by a convicted rapist must carry a special number plate; RAPIST ON WHEELS! 9. Before they build, buy, or rent a house anywhere in the country, there will be a one-week sensitization program informing residents that a rape offender is moving into the neighborhood and they should be careful. They must be made to bear the cost. 10. No rape offender can benefit from any government largesse or palliative. 11. These laws will apply irrespective of the social status of the convicted rape offender. Let’s implement this and see if anyone will still want to rape anybody.
Congratulations Prisca. Please kindly send your account number and identification to: kalakutang@yahoo.com
We will now embark on making sure that the right people get to see this proposal to deal with rape and rapists in our society. The publishers of Hello, Vagina will continue to struggle towards making our society a rape free zone in any capacity they can.
