By Funmi Ajumobi

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has revealed, in his message on the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, that no region across the globe is immune to sexual violence in war time but assured that landmark cases against political and military leaders have demonstrated that the era of impunity for sexual violence as a tool of war is over. He said the world continues to witness appalling levels of sexual violence in wartime which continues to affect women, girls, boys and men while there has also been clear progress and unprecedented political momentum to address the crime.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon gestures during a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland Friday, Dec. 12, 2008. Ban says the latest “very sobering” assessment of the World Bank underscores the world’s economic problems. The world should act with great urgency and compassion to ease economic distress. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Ban Ki-Moon added that sexual violence is now widely recognized as a deliberate strategy used to shred the fabric of society, to control and intimidate communities and to force people from their homes. “It is rightly seen as a threat to international peace and security, a serious violation of international humanitarian and human rights law, and a major impediment to post-conflict reconciliation and economic development”, he stated.

Ban Ki-Moon explained that more worrisome is the use of sexual violence as a tactic of terrorism, citing Da’esh, Boko Haram and other extremist groups who use sexual violence as a means of attracting and retaining fighters, and to generate revenue as abducted women, men, girls and boys suffer sexual assault, child and forced marriages and sexual slavery on a massive scale.

Perhaps, admitting that the crime rate has indeed attained an epidemic scale, the Nigerian violence against children survey, carried out by the National Population Commission, with support from UNICEF and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, showed that millions of children suffer violence every year in Nigeria. The report highlighted that approximately 6 out of every 10 children under the age of 18 years experience some form of physical, emotional and sexual violence before the age of 18 years.

In June 2015, the Nigerian Senate passed the Sexual Offences Bill, prescribing a massive life imprisonment for rapists and those who have sexual intercourse with children under 11 years. The bill also stipulates the storing of names of sexual offenders in a database for institutional and social discrimination, such that “culprits would never be employed in any institution where they may pose a risk to unsuspecting persons.

In addition, offenders would be subjected to compulsory medical examination, while as a deterrent mischief makers, who bring false allegations against any person, would also be liable to serious punishment.

Following this Nigeria Violence Against Children Survey, President Muhammadu Buhari launched the Year of Action to End Violence Against Children in September 2015 and pledged the full commitment of the Government of Nigeria during the campaign and beyond to tackle violence against children and since then different states have launched action to end violence children in their different states which I believe will continue until all states in Nigeria is fully committed to ending all forms of violence against children.

The issue now is that despite Sexual Offences Bill and the declaration of war against violence against children, there is hardly any media reports in the print, radio or television that at least a case of sexual violence is not reported daily. Many of these cases are mostly that of minors between age 3 to fifteen years and hardly had any of the cases ended in justice in Nigeria. Peradventure, the reason for the continuous violence against children Though Nigeria government has stand to end violence against children by declaring a year of action to end all forms of violence against children, and Nigeria senate has passed Sexual Offences Bill, violence against children should be more than launching and passing of bills but a time the National Assembly strengthens the laws against molesters and enforce same on violators.

The enforcement of the bill will curb the resort to sentiment and pressure, which allow child sexual abuse suspects to plead with the families of their victims not to be prosecuted. Awareness should continue until Nigerian begins to respect and accept that child rights Act do not affect moral and cultural values. The sooner Nigerians accept the Child Rights Act, the better for the protection of children from all forms of abuse.

According to UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, the shame and social stigma faced by women and children should be redirected towards the brutal perpetrators of violence.  ‘We must continue to speak up for the women; girls, men and boys whose bodies for too long have been considered the spoils of war’’. Ban Ki-Moon added