As the world celebrates International Women’s Day, Amnesty International has called for stricter implementation of laws against sexual violence in Nigeria.
Speaking during the awareness walk in Osogbo, the Osun State Coordinator of Amnesty International Nigeria Supporters Group, Joshua Oyebode, said that although Nigeria has extant legislation to punish sexual violence, the laws are not fully implemented.
According to Oyebode, about 149 women were killed in Nigeria in 2024, urging governments at all levels and policymakers to look inward to the existing laws and ensure they are more effective in implementation.
“This year, Amnesty International deems it fit to raise awareness about femicide in Nigeria. We are trying to create awareness about this social menace. For instance, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 140 women and girls are killed daily globally, and in Nigeria, about 149 women were killed in 2024 due to femicide.
“So, what we are doing today is to build the consciousness of the people on the street about what femicide is and their individual and collective roles in tackling the menace of femicide.
“Although Nigeria has extant legislation to the effect that sexual violence should be punished, we have the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, the Nigerian Criminal Code, and the Constitution, which in Section 33 guarantees the right to life of every citizen.
“But we have to look beyond the laws themselves. We have to look at the implementation of these laws. Admittedly, Nigeria has had an age-long problem with the implementation of laws. So, we have to begin to look inward to the existing laws. We have to make sure they are more effective in implementation.”
In his words, the Chairman, National Youth Council of Nigeria, Osun State Chapter, Akinbode Oluwasegun, said cases of femicide are on the rise, noting that men are supposed to protect women.
“We want people to know that killing and harassment of women is wrong and has to stop. When we check the rate of men killing women and vice versa, we will discover that the rate at which men are killing women is on the high side.
“The Bible describes women as weaker vessels, and men are to treat women with honour, dignity, and pride. We men are to protect the women as God commanded us to do,” he noted.
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