Share this article via twitterShare this article via whatsapp Edna Mohamed Friday 18 Sep 2020 1:27 pm Strict new laws have been introduced in parts of Nigeria to tackle a huge rise in rape cases. A state of emergency was declared in Kaduna, north-west Nigeria, after reported rapes soared during the coronavirus lockdown.
From now on, in cases where the victim is over the age of 14, any man convicted of raping them will have their penis surgically castrated and be handed a life sentence. But if they’re under the age of 14, rapists will be executed. Similar laws have been put in place for women to have their fallopian tubes removed if they rape a child, and serve a life sentence for raping someone over 14. Governors in the region announced these new laws following an outcry from women’s groups over the rise in rape cases.
It comes after mass protests in the country when Uwaila Omozuwa, a 22-year-old student, was raped and bludgeoned to death while studying in her local church. Miss Omozuwa was found lying naked in a pool of blood in the church where she had been a member of for many years. Edo Police Command spokesperson Chidi Nwabuzor said: ‘The item used in the assault, which was a fire extinguisher, was recovered.’ The Governor of Kaduna, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai (Picture: @goveKaduna) According to UNICEF, six out of every 10 children in Nigeria experience some form of violence – and 25% of girls and 10% of boys have been victims of sexual violence.
Of the children who reported violence, fewer than five out of 100 received any form of support.
