Rape: Expert wants review of sexual assault laws

The National Programme Manager of the Justice for All (J4A) Mr Danladi Plang has called for review of existing laws on rape and other forms of sexual violence.

He made the call yesterday in Abuja at the close-out and valedictory program of the J4A project, which signals the winding-up of the project that started in September 2011.

The programme which supported the Nigerianled reform of the justice sector was initiated by the British Council and the Department of International Development (DFID).

It was aimed at building capacity, accountability and responsiveness of key policing, justice and anticorruption institutions, and supporting them to work with civil society and oversight institutions.

Plang said there was rising cases of sexual and domestic violence especially rape and sexual assault on minors, hence the need to take drastic actions to arrest the development.

“We are working on three aspects of treating and counselling victims of abuse and assault in government hospitals. Secondly is the enlightenment of reporting cases of abuses, while the societal fear of stigmatization is understandable, we cannot continue to keep quiet and allow offenders to continue perpetrating their crimes, disclosure is a good way of shaming perpetrators,” he said.