Continue The Fight

The recent decision by Nigerian lawmakers in Kaduna State to approve surgical castration for any person found guilty of raping a child less than 14 years has been received with mixed feelings by Nigerians and beyond. With a population of over 200 million, Nigeria like many other countries in the world is witnessing a surged in rape cases. Though in yesteryears the legislator has taken dispositions making rape a punishable crime from 14 years to life imprisonment, some people have given a deaf ear to it. 
Hardly does a day go by without one getting news of rape. The results of a survey published by the number one country specific polling services in West Africa (NOIPolls), in July 2019 suggested that up to one in every three girls living in Nigeria could have experienced at least one form of sexual assault by the time they reach 25 years. It is not uncommon for rape to go unreported because some victims and their families fear stigmatization, police extortion and a lack of trust in the judicial process.
But the advent of the coronavirus has not only complicated the situation, but given a new dimension to the persistent call by some human rights groups and non-governmental organization on the government to step up the fight. The fight which has been bearing many fruits after shocking cases of a 22-year-old University student brutally raped and bludgeoned to...