THE incident of rape in Nigeria has been upsettingly on the increase over the years. The Section 358 of the Criminal Code Law specifies punishment for perpetrators of rape, ranging from five to 21 years; or even life imprisonment as the case may be.
Unfortunately, despite the law, the numbers of rape victims are on the increase as the day goes by, with occurrences in the homes, schools, worship centres, among others. What has become more worrisome is the fact that more offenders seem to go unpunished, as the law mandates that victims must prove beyond reasonable doubts that there was no consent and also show corroboration, which is a witness to the crime. This becomes a hard call for victims, as rape offences were not usually committed in the open, coupled with the reluctance of the victims to come forward.
To this end, the Nigerian Tribune conducted an opinion poll on whether the punishment for rape deters perpetrators of the act. Of the 201people who participated in the poll on our website, www.tribune.com.ng, 155 people representing 77.1 per cent submitted that better enforcement of the punishment would put an end to it, while 44 people representing 21.9 per cent expressed that the punishment was not adequate enough to discourage perpetrators. Two people (1 per cent) were indifferent to the issue. Comments were also posted on our Facebook page. Doyin Adeoye brings the report.
Adekunle Ewatomi: I'd say no, because we rarely hear of culprits being sent to jail for rape offences. And most times, victims are debarred from coming out publicly to discuss it, based on our culture and tradition. Rape cases are really rampant these days, but most girls would rather keep the incident to themselves because of the stigma attached to it.
Ahmed 'captain Medlat' Olatidoye: No, it doesn't. Over the years, those who rape get away with the offence and the ones caught are usually not properly dealt with to serve as lessons for others. The worst that the perpetrators get is a minor jail term, while the victims are left to suffer stigmatisation from those around them who know about the incident. What needs to be ensured is proper legislation and enforcement that would prevent rape cases, especially dressing code for ladies who often tempt the perpetrators, among others.
Gbemi Soneye: Most of them are not caught anyway, as most victims likely don't report the cases, so punishment may not hinder perpetrators.
Ayodeji Obafunso: I believe no matter how stringent the amount of punishment given to those culprits is, it won't serve as a deterrent to others if we don't really look at the causes of the problems. I totally condemn rape and anyone found guilty should be subjected to the toughest form of punishment. However, indecent dressing among ladies is also on the increase and it is often the common cause for rape.
Tosin Ajani: Most of them don't even change after the punishment, so it’s more or less doesn't affect them in any way. What matters most is self discipline and a change of heart.
Olayiwola Akionla Smart: The punishment to me is flexible and most of the time when the cases are being handled, the victims are often probed to the extent that she can't adequately answer the questions which unfortunately results in waving the cases.
Akintunde Lanre: The issue of rape is not about the punishment; rather rape cases rarely get reported. They go away without any judgment because most of the victims prefer to lay low to avoid the stigmatisation that accompanies the trauma. The point is how to encourage the rape victims to speak up so that the perpetrators can be effectively punished. So, I'd say yes to the question, the punishment is appropriate, but few people get punished.
Akeem Lawal: Rape is a criminal offence; whosoever is involved should be made to face the consequences. It is even abominable before God.
Odubanjo Bidemi: I wonder why people rape, because sex is now almost free in Nigeria, it can happen almost anywhere you want it. But the perpetrators still have punishment to serve as warning to others and some ladies also have to watch what they say and their dress sense.
Shina Oluwole: I believe the punishment is not deterrent enough, because putting the traumatic state of the victims into consideration, which often lasts for a lifetime, the option of fine should not be considered and the punishment should be commensurate, like a minimum of seven years jail term.
Labake Gold: It is rather an unfortunate experience, one that no lady or woman would ever pray to have. It is unfortunate because most times, the victims are often blamed eventually for the act, people start throwing blames at her; it happened because of the way you dress, why did you go to his house? Who is your witness? Are you sure it was without your consent and sorts? Eventually the lady gets frustrated and would just want to die or fade away, so this is the first issue that needs to be addressed. And for the perpetrators, what becomes of them, most of the cases are often dropped because of lack of vital evidences and witnesses. No one would rape in the open, of course there would be no witnesses. So, it is up to those involved to do their job and find every little evidence they can. No matter how long it takes in the developed countries, a perpetrator of the act will be nabbed, even if it is just a strand of hair that will link them to him. So, the law enforcement agencies should tackle the right source and adequately punish offenders. With that, there will be an end to it.
Rita Reelove: I think it should. Perpetrators should be sentenced to at least five years imprisonment with hard labour and there should be no preferential treatment, whereby allowing justice to take its stand. Also, appropriate parental care especially for the under-age females should be enforced and a caution to encourage decent dressing.
Adedeji Adelusi: I think the punishment for rape in Nigeria is seven years imprisonment, but I don't see the punishment as been enough to deter perpetrators, because whoever does that is a criminal, a seven year imprisonment would mean nothing to them. So I feel it should be extended, probably a 21 year stay in prison would do.
Chucks Nwanneka: No, it doesn't, as there are more reported cases each day.
Oladipupo Moruff Adewale: No, I don't think it discourages the act, because the disgusting attitude is increasing day by day. They should be treated like murderers.
Kolawole Oladapo: Even the society does not really provide a better approach to the issue of rape. This is because when a girl confides in her mother of being raped, the mother would rather console her and let the issue go than tell the world what had happened to her girl. The stigma, the trauma and drama around it are often too much for most people to handle. So I think the punishment should be better enforced and people should be educated on the approach to issues like this.
The Tribune
No comments:
Post a Comment