Mr. David Charles hereby
pleads not guilty to a one count charge of defilement after he was paraded at
Ikeja magistrate court for rapping a ten year old daughter of his neighbor. He claims
he did not penetrate the child but only caressed her vagina with his fingers,
and in shock I ask Sir, what were your fingers doing on the vagina of a ten
year old girl who was asked to get water from your fridge? I can’t help but
ponder further on the matter. He asserted that the young girl requested to view
pornography on his phone and again I asked, if a girl of ten years had truly requested
to view pornography in a man’s phone, couldn’t the man decline her request? He
had an option, but went ahead to defile the little girl. Certainly because he
knows he can dominate her and make her feel responsible for a crime perpetrated
against her. Caressing a Minor’s vagina
is a crime of sexual violence. The police prosecutor said the suspect did unlawfully
defile the little girl which is an offence punishable under section 137 of the
criminal law of Lagos state. The survivor of this preposterous crime of
violence is only but a child who would go through moments of fear,
helplessness, guilt, isolation, betrayal, anger, low self-esteem relationship problems,
sexual difficulty, anxiety and negative body image over the years.
At this point I must reiterate
that the crime of sexual violence is on the shoot in Nigeria and unfortunately
often times, not reported. I stand to condemn the act of sexual violence against
women and girls. There is need for every state government to domesticate
national laws that protect women and girls from all forms of discrimination and
violence.
For me, this is also an opportunity to call on necessary
stake holders and independent institutions as well to
re-examine the gaps and challenges surrounding the delay behind the passage of
the GEO bill into Law. The Gender and
Equal Opportunities Bill (GEOB) was rejected by members of Nigeria’s
Senate on Tuesday the March 15th 2016. The
GEO Bill seeks to guarantee the rights of women to access equal opportunities
in employment and education. It also seeks to guarantee equal rights to
inheritance for both male and female children .Understanding of the need of the GEOB
in addressing the trend of violence and current issues in gender and security
in Nigeria.
The Gender and Equal
Opportunity Bill (GEOB) is an amalgamation of sections of gender focused
treaties and policies especially the Convention on the Elimination of all forms
of Discrimination against Women(CEDAW), the African Union Protocol on Human and
people’s Right and the National Gender Policy. It is never late to take action
to #EndViolence. Pass the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill.
Anozie Chinwendu
Alliances for Africa
