2023 records significant drop in sexual offences

Police statistics show that sexual violence against minors that has been a nightmare for years dropped significantly over the 2023 Christmas and New Year festive season.

While 72 defilement cases were reported across the country over the same period in 2022, police say they recorded 42 cases in 2023, an indication that efforts that have been put in place to curb the scourge might be bearing fruit.

For years, the country has been grappling with escalating cases of defilement which spiraled out of control during the COVID-19 lockdown period.

Back in 2020, the police recorded 1, 825 cases of defilement. The situation worsened in 2021 when 2, 033 cases were recorded, with 2022 being the worst with 2, 059 cases.

The sexual offences scourge recently compelled Parliament to pass a new law providing for stiffer penalties against sexual offenders. Under the new law, persons convicted of sexual abuses against children below the age of 18 will henceforward attract a mandatory 20-year jail sentence with life imprisonment as the maximum punishment.

If a convicted person is found to be HIV positive and it is established that they were not aware of their status at the time of commission of the crime, the minimum penalty is 25 years imprisonment. And if it is established that the offender was aware of their HIV status, the offender will attract a mandatory 30-year minimum prison term.

On the other hand, 15 years imprisonment is the minimum penalty for attempted rape, with life imprisonment being the maximum penalty.

In the past, the police attributed the rise in sexual offences to poor parenting and sloppy parental guidance. Law enforcement officials added that in some cases victims of sexual offences would have met the perpetrators at drinking and entertainment spots. The perpetrators usually involve the victims’ peers and older men, the police have said. According to the police, a more concerning development involves parents who conceal incidents of defilement until the victim starts showing signs of light to medium pregnancy. In other cases, parents are known to be in the habit of negotiating settlements with offenders upon learning that their children have been defiled thereby ‘killing’ possible cases of prosecution.